Some of the highest peaks in the eastern United States create a highlands in the Southern Appalachians that has become our most visited National Park, with 9 million visitors during the year. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains 16 peaks above 6,000 feet.
People come to experience the mountain vistas and the intricate wilderness forest.
The Great Smokies Park has been designated an international biosphere reserve because of the vast variety of its plants and animals. Despite the number of people that visit the Park, it is possible to get away, by hiking or horseback riding the backcountry trails, camping in the backcountry, or bicycling some of the old roads that see few vehicles. About 850 miles of trails wander through the Park, up secluded coves, over mountains, and past waterfalls. The streams of the Great Smokies are known throughout the eastern U.S. for great flyfishing. Lying on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, with approximately half the Park in each state, the Great Smoky Mountains contains 520,000 acres, or about 800 square miles.