Great Smoky Mountains Info

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to all kinds of natural wonders, including some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country! If you are planning a family vacation to the Smokies and hope to see some of these stunning cascades, you’ll find several excellent hikes that are both easy and fun. These moderate hikes are ideal for bringing the kids, so bring the whole gang along for the adventure! Here are 3 of the best family-friendly hikes to Smoky Mountain waterfalls:

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a fun place to go any day. In fact, it is an attraction that never closes. If you choose to come at certain times of year, there are special events that will help you learn about the area and see more stunning sights. Read on to learn more about some of the popular annual events and what to expect:

What were the Smokies like before the vast area became the most-visited national park in the United States? It was a popular community of settlers. They worked hard to establish a comfortable life for themselves. Their legacy lives on through preserved historical buildings. We are going to tell you about one on the North Carolina side! In this guide, learn more about the history of Palmer Chapel in Cataloochee Valley:

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has what seems like endless miles of trails. Need help choosing one of the nice and easy Smoky Mountain hiking trails for your next visit? We have a recommendation with a bit of everything. Here are a few things you'll love about the Fighting Creek Nature Trail:

Are you an avid hiker who’s planning a visit to the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park? If so, we’ve got a great trail recommendation for you to consider: the Palmer Creek Trail, located in Cataloochee Valley! Keep reading to learn more about where to find the trailhead and things you’ll see along the way.

Every year in September, Plein Air Smokies brings nationally acclaimed artists to the region for a week of painting inspired by Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding landscape! This event benefits the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and offers a special opportunity to take home a unique piece of artwork from the Smokies. Learn more about this upcoming special event:

The Smoky Mountains were once a bustling community with lots of homesteads, and Cades Cove is home to the largest number of intact cabins built by the area’s European settlers. Thanks to the preservation efforts of the National Park Service, visitors can explore these historic structures today. Ready to learn about some Cades Cove history? Here are some unique facts about the Carter Shields Cabin:

Fall is one of the most popular times of the year for people to visit the Great Smoky Mountains, and for good reason! The air gets cooler and the weather becomes more pleasant, and most importantly, the leaves change colors! It’s a truly magnificent time of year when you can see fall colors all around you. Here’s everything you need to know about seeing Smoky Mountain fall foliage.

The Smokies are a spectacular destination during the fall as the mountains transform into a breathtaking display of yellow, red, and orange colors! While the fall foliage is certainly the big reason why so many folks love visiting the Smoky Mountains in autumn, there are many other appealing factors about being in the Smokies at this special time of year! Here are the top 4 reasons to visit the Smoky Mountains in autumn besides the fall foliage:

Smoky Mountain photography is popular, and for good reason: the stunning scenery is breathtaking, whether you’re taking photos of the vast landscape or using the area as a backdrop for family photos. Spending a day in Cades Cove? Bring a camera to make the memories last forever! We’ve got all the details about picture-perfect spots! Here is a list of 5 of the best places in Cades Cove to take pictures:

If you're a history lover, you should go for a hike in the Smokies. A lot of the trails have expertly preserved historical cabins and other structures. Need help figuring out where to go first? We've got you covered with this list of scenic Smoky Mountain hikes with historical structures:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is well known for its population of up to nearly 2,000 black bears, which translates to about 2 bears per square mile! One of the other popular residents that call the park home is the white tailed deer, which you can often spot in open grassy areas like Cades Cove and Cataloochee Valley. You might even stumble across them while enjoying a drive through the Smokies or hiking along one of the many trails in the park! Here is everything you need to know about these beautiful animals in the Smoky Mountains:

Do you love the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Do you want to help others enjoy its timeless beauty? If you answered “yes” to these questions, a great way to make an impact is by taking advantage of the volunteer opportunities with the national park. Read on to learn about some of them! Here is a list of 4 ways to get involved with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park averages about 11 to 12 million visitors per year, making it the most-visited national park in the United States! While there is certainly never a bad time to experience the park, the summer months are especially busy due to school breaks, and October is popular as it draws leaf peepers to see the fall foliage. If you ever wondered what the best time is to drive Cades Cove Loop Road or to find parking at the most popular trails, you’ll want to visit during the slower seasons! Here are the top 4 reasons to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park during a slow season:

Black bears are the most popular animal in the Smoky Mountains, as they have a population density of 2 bears per square mile. It will be exciting to see one or even a group of them in person, but you want to make sure you’re sage. Want some helpful information before your next visit in case you do spot them? Here is our list of 4 black bear safety tips to follow in the Smokies