What you’ll See

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is indeed a special place. Among some of the features making it special are: Diversity. More than 4,000 species of plants grow here. A walk from mountain base to peak compares with traveling 1,250 miles north. Several resident plants and animals live only in the Smokies.

With a rich cultural history from the Cherokee Indians, to the Scotch-Irish settlers, this land was home to a variety of cultures and people. Many historic structures remain standing. Subsistence turned to exploitation as logging concerns stripped the region of timber. Recovery is now the dominant theme.

Nine million visits per year. The National Park Service must balance the needs of the land with the desires of the people both today and for the future. Cades Cove Cades Cove, a 6,800-acre valley near Townsend, Tennessee provides a representative sample of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's natural and cultural history as well as its recreational opportunities. There are many things to see and photograph here including old barns, cabins, meadows and deer.

Roaring Fork

This area of the park is a stones throw from Gatlinburg and a great location to find spring wildflowers, dogwood trees, beautiful mountains streams and pioneer cabins.

Newfound Gap Road

The Newfound Gap Road bisects the park and leads you up to Clingman’s Dome. This peak is central to the park and provides stunning views of the surrounding countryside.