Great Smoky Mountain National Park Info

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the largest protected areas in the country where black bears can live safe and free in their natural habitat. It is estimated that around 1,500 black bears call the Smokies home. While they can be found all around the park, there are a few places they prefer. Here are the 4 best places to see black bears in the Smoky Mountains:

Clingmans Dome is one of the most popular destinations in the Smokies, but few people truly know what lays below! Underneath Clingmans Dome Road, an ornately decorated hidden tunnel stands alone. It’s most commonly referred to as the Thomas Divide Tunnel, but it’s also frequently called the Thomas Ridge Tunnel, the Old Mule Tunnel, or other variations. Although it was once located on a hiking trail, the secret tunnel under Clingmans Dome is now one of the park’s best hidden treasures. Here's everything you need to know about the hidden tunnel beneath Clingmans Dome:

Make the most of your time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park by starting your day at one of the park’s 4 visitor centers! These convenient facilities are the perfect place to plan your hike since they feature park maps and various books for sale with detailed hiking information. You can also speak to a park ranger who can make hiking suggestions based on what you want to see! Here is the detailed information about each Smoky Mountain National Park Visitor Center:

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park began reopening on May 9! If you’ve been missing going for a hike through the Smoky Mountains, your wait is over. The reopening will happen in phases, and the first of which included many of the hiking trails and roads. The second phase includes all the trails and more secondary roads. Now, more areas in the the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are opening Sept. 3. We’ve gathered all the information we can about the national park reopening:

If you’ve ever seen the Smoky Mountains in the morning, you will know why they have smoky in their name. Blankets of bluish smoke settle over the mountains on most mornings, creating a beautiful sight. Some rumors even have gone around, saying that locals use giant fog machines to create the smoky effect. We want to clear up this rumor for you and tell you the real reason why the Smoky Mountains are so smoky!

If you’ve ever been stressed out and find that spending time out in nature makes you feel better, it’s not just in your head! Psychologists have done a study to see the effects of spending time in nature and how it affects stress. That means if you're feeling stressed, it's time to plan a trip to the Smoky Mountains! We want to share some of the best places to enjoy nature in the Smokies! Find out more about how spending time in the Great Smoky Mountains will reduce your stress:

Trying to decide which places to visit in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? With the park encompassing over 500,000 acres there’s a lot to see! And you can find it all, from amazing wildlife to places full of Appalachian history! Hiking in the Smoky Mountains has created a list of several of the top must visit places in the Smokies for you!

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a lot to do when you visit! When of the best things to do is go for a bike ride! Hiking in the Smoky Mountains knows of several great Smoky Mountain bike trails you can give a try. You’ll get to experience everything from mountain vistas to old historic buildings along the way too! Keep reading to learn about where you can ride a bike in the national park.  

The Elkmont Ghost Town is one of the most fascinating parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to visit! Before the establishment of the national park, Elkmont was a hot spot to be for logging and vacationers way back when. Even with is considered a “ghost town” now it is well worth a visit!

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States! The park receives over 2 million visitors every year! All of these visitors come looking to find beautiful mountain views, spot local wildlife, and explore the hiking trails. If you are looking for the best way to learn about the park before exploring it then you need to visit the Smoky Mountains visitor center, also known as the Sugarlands Visitor Center.