Great Smoky Mountains National Park – wildlife, hiking, peaks, etc

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina in the southeastern United States. It is by far the most visited national park in the country, with around 13 million annual visitors.

Established in 1934, the National Park has an area of 522,419 acres (2,114 square kilometers). A UNESCO World Heritage site, Great Smoky Mountains National Park encompasses the Great Smoky Mountains which is a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains are one of the oldest mountains on Earth. They were formed 200-300 million years ago.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains

Top 3 highest mountain peaks in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  1. Clingmans Dome – 6,643 ft (2025 meters)
  2. Mount Guyot – 6,621 ft (2018 meters)
  3. Mount Le Conte – 6,593 ft (2010 meters)

Flora and Fauna

The National park has over 1,800 species of plants, 65 species of mammals, over 200 bird species, 67 native fish species, and more than 80 species of reptiles and amphibians.

Large animals in the National park are American Black bears, Elk, White-tailed Deer, Coyote, etc.

American black bear is a large omnivore endemic to North America.

Elk is one of the largest deer species. It is found in North America, Central Asia, and East Asia.

Coyote is a canine endemic to North America.

Hiking

Hiking is the most popular thing to do in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are over 800 miles of hiking trails in the National Park. The famous ones are the Mount Le Conte hike, Rainbow Falls trail, Laurel Falls trail, etc.

Note: There is no entry fee to the National park. However, other charges apply.

Established1934
StatesTennessee and North Carolina
Visitorsnearly 13.3 million (2023)
Famous wildlifeWhite-tailed deer, American black bear, Elk, Coyote, Turkey, Raccoon, etc
Mountain rangeGreat Smoky Mountains

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