Search results
Dec 5, 2023 · Learn about the rich cultural tapestry of Southern Appalachian history preserved by the park. Explore the historic structures, landscapes, and artifacts that tell the stories of people who once called these mountains home.
- People
Intervention came when Great Smoky Mountains National Park...
- Stories
The land that became Great Smoky Mountains National Park was...
- Collections
The National Park Service Collections Preservation Center in...
- Smoky Mountain Timeline
Smoky Mountain Timeline. 1540. Hernando De Soto explores the...
- People
The Great Smoky Mountains (Cherokee: ᎡᏆ ᏚᏧᏍᏚ ᏙᏓᎸ, Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv) are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province .
Mar 28, 2019 · Learn how the park was created to protect the biodiversity and culture of the southern Appalachians, and explore its visitor centers, hiking trails, and attractions. Discover the history of the Cherokee Indians, the logging industry, and the fireflies that light up the night sky.
They were explored in the mid-19th century by Thomas L. Clingman (a U.S. representative and senator from North Carolina) and the geographer Arnold Guyot and were named for the bluish haze characteristic of the region. Farmers began to settle the valleys in the late 18th century.
The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The park contains some of the highest mountains in eastern North America, including Clingmans Dome, Mount Guyot, and Mount Le Conte.
Learn about the natural beauty, biodiversity and history of this North American park, a refuge of temperate zone flora and fauna. The park is home to over 1300 native plant species, 31 salamander species and the largest block of virgin red spruce forest in the world.
Jul 1, 2015 · Smoky Mountain Timeline. 1540. Hernando De Soto explores the southern Appalachian Mountains and encounters the Cherokee who had inhabited the region for centuries. Portrait of explorer William Bartram by Charles Willson Peale. 1775. Botanist William Bartram explores the southern Appalachians. 1795.
