Great Smoky Mountains
Most visited U.S. national park, straddling North Carolina and Tennessee.
Last updated
via Wikipedia: Great Smoky Mountains National Park · see source
Where it is
Coordinates: 35°36′40″N 83°25′30″W (35.6110, -83.4250) · Open in OpenStreetMap
Coordinates and connected clubs: the infobox of Wikipedia: Great Smoky Mountains National Park (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map: drawn by Codexery from OpenStreetMap tiles.
In the southeastern United States, a national park called Great Smoky Mountains National Park occupies portions of both North Carolina and Tennessee.[1] According to National Park Service data for 2025, this park received 11,527,939 recreation visits, making it the most visited national park in the country.[1][2] Mountains, waterfalls, forests, and biodiversity are the features for which this park has international recognition.[3]
Geography and history
It covers 522,419 acres, roughly evenly divided between Tennessee and North Carolina.[4][5] It was the first national park to have land costs paid partly with federal funds.[6] The park borders an Indian reservation home to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.[5] The Great Smoky Mountains, which are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, have their ridgeline straddled by the park.[1]
On its journey from Georgia up to Maine, the Appalachian Trail cuts through the park's center.[1]
What the cited sources add
Scientists have identified 19,000 species in the park and estimate up to 100,000 more may exist.[7][8] The park is known as the "Salamander Capital of the World"[7] The park's abundant rainfall and high summertime humidity provide excellent growing conditions.[8] The USGS account describes this park as having the greatest biological diversity of any park in the National Park system.[7]
Old-growth forest makes up roughly 25% of the park's total forested area.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Great Smoky Mountains National Park" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Public Interest in National Parks Remains Strong as Visits Top 323 Million in 2025", National Park Service; Crane, "National Parks by Popularity 2024", Park Quest, 2025-04-19 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Public Interest in National Parks Remains Strong as Visits Top 323 Million in 2025", National Park Service. facts only, no text reused. nps.gov
- Wikipedia, "Great Smoky Mountains National Park" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Great Smoky Mountains National Park", Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Cuthbert, "Everything to know about Great Smoky Mountains National Park", National Geographic, March 28, 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Great Smoky Mountains National Park" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Great Smoky Mountains National Park" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: DeLorme, "Tennessee Atlas & Gazetteer", DeLorme, 2017 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Great Smoky Mountains National Park" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"; "Global Context", Great Smoky Mountains National Park (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Ecology of Great Smoky Mountains National Park", usgs.gov. facts only, no text reused. usgs.gov
- "Nature", Great Smoky Mountains National Park, December 22, 2022. facts only, no text reused. nps.gov
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Great Smoky Mountains National Park (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in US National Parks
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Great Smoky Mountains National Park (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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