The Smokies Trip Planner is the official trip planning guide to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Download a copy at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/trip-planner.htm
The Smokies Trip Planner contains information about favorite destinations in the park including Cades Cove, Cataloochee, Clingmans Dome, and Roaring Fork and popular activities such as auto touring, bicycling, fishing, hiking and backpacking, picnicking, waterfall walks, wildlife watching, and more.
Did You Know?
Designated an International Biosphere Reserve, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to 4,000 plant species, 140 tree species, and approximately 600 black bears. The Great Smoky Mountains are also known as the “Salamander Capital of the World” with approximately 30 species of salamander found here. The National Park is also home to approximately 1,500 species of wildflowers – more than any other national park in the country.
Did You Know?
The Cherokees referred to the Smoky Mountains as the “Land of the Blue Mist.” More than 13,000 members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians live in the 56,000-acre Qualla Boundary Reservation, the Eastern gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual in Cherokee displays the work of more than 300 Cherokee craftspeople – making it the largest facility of its kind in the United States. https://visitcherokeenc.com/play/attractions/
Did You Know?
Townsend was once the site of the headquarters and sawmill of the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company, which logged sections of what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during 1901 to 1939. The Little River Railroad Museum, housed in a former railroad depot, documents the fascinating history of both the Little River Railroad and the Little River Lumber Company through an ever-growing collection of restored trains, photos, papers, tools, and other artifacts. Adjacent to the depot is a replica of the Elkmont Post Office, which now houses the museum’s gift shop. Your host Myra’s stepdad Chick Hendren was the first honorary conductor of the museum and was instrumental in founding the museum.