An ancient land
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS
| The Great Smoky Mountains was the first National Park made up of private and reclaimed Federal lands. It is not the largest National Park east of the Mississippi river. But it acts that way. It is spread across two states and the Appalachian Mountains. It was established in 1934 and is the home of more plant and animal species than anywhere in the United States. It contains five different types of forests. Some as old or older than the last great glaciers. |
view from Clingmans Dome looking northeast
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This area was settled and inhabited by various tribes of the Cherokee Nation thousands of years before English settlers arrived. The soil was poor and it was difficult for anyone to make any sort of a living. The Park itself is home to more homestead and old timey farm buidings than anywhere in the country.
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The Great Smoky Mountains is largely administered as a wilderness area. The biological diversity is overwhelming with more tree speicies than that of northern Europe. There are 1,500 flowering plants, 200 species of birds and 60 species of mammals. This area is of such that it is desiginated as an International Biosphere Reserve and as a World Heritage Site.
To learn more visit The Great Smoky Mountains website |
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