Elevations in the park range from 875 to 6,643 feet, at Clingmans Dome (250 to 2,000 m) above mean sea level. Within the park a total of sixteen mountains reach higher than 6,000 feet (1829 m).
The wide range of elevations mimics the latitudinal changes found throughout the entire eastern U.S. Indeed, ascending the mountains is comparable to a trip from Tennessee to Canada. Plants and animals common in the Northeast have found suitable ecological niches in the park's higher elevations, while southern species find homes in the balmier lower reaches.
During the most recent ice age, the northeast-to-southwest orientation of the Appalachian mountains allowed species to migrate southward along the slopes rather than finding the mountains to be a barrier. As climate warms, many northern species are now retreating upward along the slopes and withdrawing northward, while southern species are expanding.
Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the park, with Fraser Fir forest
The park normally has very high humidity and precipitation, averaging from 55 inches (1.4 m) per year in the valleys to 85 inches (2.2 m) per year on the peaks. This is more annual rainfall than anywhere in the United States outside the Pacific Northwest and parts of Alaska. The park is almost 95 percent forested, of which roughly a quarter is old growth with many trees that predate European settlement of the area. It is one of the largest blocks of deciduous, temperate, old growth forest in North America.
The variety of elevations, the abundant rainfall, and the presence of old growth forests give the park an unusual richness of biota. About 10,000 species of plants and animals are known to live in the park, and estimates as high as an additional 90,000 undocumented species may also be present.
Park officals count more than 200 species of birds, 66 species of mammals, 50 species of fish, 39 species of reptiles, and 43 species of amphibians, including many lungless salamanders. The park has a noteworthy black bear population, numbering at least 1,800. An experimental re-introduction of elk (elsewhere known as red deer) into the park began in 2001.
Over 100 species of trees grow in the park. The lower region forests are dominated by deciduous leafy trees. At higher altitudes, deciduous forests give way to coniferous trees like Fraser Fir. In addition, the park has over 1,400 flowering plant species and over 4,000 species of non-flowering plants.
Attractions and activites
The Alum Cave Bluffs trail to the summit of Mount LeConte provides numerous dramatic overlooks of the Great Smoky Mountains
The two main visitors' centers inside the park are Sugarlands Visitors' Center near the Gatlinburg entrance to the park and Oconaluftee Visitors' Center near Cherokee, North Carolina at the eastern entrance to the park. These ranger stations provide exhibits on wildlife, geology, and the history of the park. They also sell books, maps, and souvenirs.
U.S. Highway 441 (known in the park as Newfound Gap Road) bisects the park, providing automobile access to many trailheads and overlooks, most notably that of Newfound Gap. At an elevation of 5,048 feet (1,539 m), it is the lowest gap in the mountains and is situated near the center of the park, on the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, halfway between the border towns of Gatlinburg and Cherokee. It was here that in 1940, from the Rockefeller Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the national park. On clear days Newfound Gap offers arguably the most spectacular scenes accessible via highway in the park.
The park has a number of historical attractions. The most well-preserved of these (and most popular) is Cades Cove, a valley with a number of preserved historic buildings including log cabins, barns, and churches. Cades Cove is the single most frequented destination in the national park, which is itself the most visited national park in the United States. Self-guided automobile and bicycle tours offer the many sightseers a glimpse into the way of life of old-time southern Appalachia.
The Chimney Tops is a popular destination for hikers
Including seventy miles of the Appalachian Trail, there amounts to 850 miles (1,368 km) of trails and unpaved roads in the park for hiking[link]. Mount Le Conte, at 6,593 feet (2,009 m), is the third highest summit in the park, and, measured from its base to its highest peak, is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River. Inasmuch it is one of the most frequented destinations in the park. Its Alum Cave Trail, which is the most heavily trafficked of the five paths en route to the summit, provides many scenic overlooks and unique natural attractions (Alum Cave Bluffs and Arch Rock, for instance) for hikers planning to spend a night at the LeConte Lodge, which provides cabins and rooms for rent (except during the winter season), located near the summit. Accessible solely by trail, it is the only private lodging available inside the park. Another popular hiking trail leads to the pinnacle of the Chimney Tops, so named because of its unique dual-humped peaktops. This short but strenuous trek rewards nature enthusiasts with a spectacular panaorama of the surrounding mountain peaks. For those looking for a more easily accessible payoff, both the Laurel Falls and Clingman's Dome trails offer relatively easy, short, paved paths to their respective destinations. The Laurel Falls Trail leads to a powerful 80 foot (24 m) waterfall, and the Clingman's Dome Trail takes visitors on an uphill climb to a fifty-foot observation deck, which on a clear day offers views for many miles over both the Tennessee and North Carolina mountains.
In addition to dayhiking, the national park offers opportunites for backpacking and camping, particularly via the placement of shelters along the Appalachian Trail; designated campsites are also scattered throughout the park. Permits are required for stays at both locales and are almost always valid for only one night.
Other activites
After hiking and simple sightseeing, fishing is the most popular activity in the national park, although there are srtict regulations under which fishing must be conducted. Horseback riding (offered by the national park and on limited trails), bicycling (available for rent in Cades Cove) and water tubing are all also practiced within the park.
Human history
John Cable Homestead in Cades Cove
Before the arrival of European settlers, the region was part of the homeland of the CherokeeIndians. White frontierspeople began settling the land in the 18th and early 19th century. In 1830 President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, ordering all Indian tribes east of the Mississippi River to move to what is now Oklahoma. Many of the Cherokee left, but some, led by renegade warrior Tsali, hid out in the area that is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some of their descendants now live in the Qualla Reservation south of the park.
As white settlers moved in, logging grew as a major industry in the mountains. Overlogging was destroying the natural beauty of the area, so visitors and locals banded together to raise money for preservation of the land. The U.S. National Park Service wanted a park in the eastern United States, but did not want to spend much money to establish one. Though Congress had authorized the park in 1926, there was no nucleus of federally-owned land around which to build a park. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. contributed $5 million, the U.S. government added $2 million, and private citizens from Tennessee and North Carolina pitched in to assemble the land for the park, piece by piece. The park was officially established on June 15, 1934. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Works Progress Administration, and other federal organizations made trails, fire watchtowers, and other infrastructure improvements to the park.
