Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Lore & Background

The park was chartered by the United States Congress in 1934 and officially dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940. It was the first national park having land and other costs paid in part with federal funds; previous parks were funded wholly with state money or private funds. The park anchors a large tourism industry based in Sevier County, Tennessee, adjacent to the park, with major attractions including Dollywood, Ober Gatlinburg, and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. Tourism to the park contributes an estimated $2.5 billion annually into the local economy.

Reader's Guide

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is internationally recognized for its mountains, waterfalls, biodiversity, and forests. It preserves multiple historical structures from early European-American settler communities. The park contains four historic districts and one archaeological district, as well as nine individual listings on the National Register of Historic Places. Notable structures include the Mountain Farm Museum buildings at Oconaluftee and buildings in the Cataloochee area. The park's geology features late Precambrian rocks of the Ocoee Supergroup, with the oldest rocks being Precambrian gneiss and schists formed over a billion years ago. The park protects the majority of the Great Smoky Mountains, a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and contains 16 of the 'Southern Sixers'—mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina that reach elevations higher than 6,000 feet. The Appalachian Trail passes through the center of the park on its route from Georgia to Maine. The park borders an Indian reservation to the south that is home to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Did You Know?

• Kuwohi is the highest mountain in Tennessee and the third-highest mountain east of the Mississippi River.
• Mount Le Conte rises 5,301 feet from its base to its summit, making it the tallest mountain in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.
• The park contains an estimated 2,900 miles of streams and more than 100 prominent waterfalls.

Topography & Mountain Ranges

The park's terrain spans a staggering 522,419 acres, roughly split between Tennessee and North Carolina, and sits within the Blue Ridge Mountains, a subrange of the broader Appalachian chain. Elevation climbs from roughly 875 feet in the foothills to 6,643 feet at the summit of Kuwohi, which holds the title of Tennessee's highest peak and ranks as the third-tallest mountain east of the Mississippi. Just behind it, Mount Guyot reaches 6,621 feet, while Mount Le Conte, at 6,593 feet, actually rises 5,301 feet from its base, earning it the distinction of being the tallest mountain in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The park shelters sixteen of the so-called Southern Sixers, peaks in Tennessee and North Carolina that top 6,000 feet. The range stretches east to west, flanked by the Bald Mountains, Plott Balsams, and Unicoi Mountains. Deep valleys called coves, most notably the broad, flat Cades Cove, nestle between the ridges, and the town of Gatlinburg sits directly to the north while the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' reservation borders the park to the south.

Rivers, Streams & Waterfalls

Entirely contained within the Tennessee River watershed, the park is threaded by an estimated 2,900 miles of streams, making water one of its defining features. The Little Tennessee River traces the southwestern boundary, held back at various points by Chilhowee, Calderwood, Cheoah, and Fontana Dams, while the Pigeon River carves a deep gorge near the eastern edge, separating the Smokies from the Bald Mountains. Smaller rivers such as the Oconaluftee, the three prongs of the Little Pigeon, and the Little River all find their origins within park land. More than a hundred notable waterfalls dot the landscape. Ramsey Cascades, tucked at the base of Mount Guyot, is the tallest overall, tumbling 100 feet over rocky outcroppings into a pool below. Rainbow Falls claims the title of the tallest single-drop cascade, plunging 80 feet along LeConte Creek. Other well-known falls include Grotto, Laurel, Abrams, Mingo, Mouse Creek, and Hen Wallow, each offering its own character to hikers and photographers who seek them out along the park's many trails.

Charter, Funding & International Recognition

Congress chartered the park in 1934, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated it in 1940. What made Great Smoky Mountains groundbreaking at the time was its funding model: it became the first national park in which land acquisition and other costs were partially covered by federal money. Every park before it had relied entirely on state appropriations or private contributions. That precedent helped reshape how the nation thought about public lands. Decades later, the park's ecological and cultural significance earned it two major international designations. In 1983, UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site, and in 1988 it was further recognized as an International Biosphere Reserve. The park also preserves the material legacy of early European-American settlers, maintaining four historic districts, one archaeological district, and nine structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Additional notable buildings, such as those at the Mountain Farm Museum in Oconaluftee and in the Cataloochee area, stand as unlisted but meaningful reminders of the communities that once thrived in these valleys.

Tourism & Economic Life

With more than 11 million visitors recorded in 2025, Great Smoky Mountains National Park stands as the most-visited national park in the entire United States. Its main gateways open along U.S. Highway 441, known locally as Newfound Gap Road, at Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Cherokee, North Carolina, with an additional entrance in Townsend, Tennessee. The Appalachian Trail threads through the park's center on its long route from Georgia to Maine, drawing hikers who add to the steady flow of day-trippers and weekend visitors. The park anchors a substantial tourism economy rooted in Sevier County, Tennessee. Nearby attractions such as Dollywood, Tennessee's second-most-visited tourist destination, Ober Gatlinburg, and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies funnel additional visitors into the region. Collectively, tourism tied to the park injects an estimated $2.5 billion into the local economy each year, sustaining hotels, restaurants, shops, and service businesses in the surrounding towns of Gatlinburg, Townsend, Bryson City, and Maggie Valley.