Great Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains is a big mountain range, which is part of the Appalachians. These hills are part of the World Heritage of UNESCO and the International Biosphere Reserve. Their geographical location is the junction boundary between the U.S. state Tennessee and North Carolina.

This protected area ranks as a leader among the most visited national parks in the eastern United States because it is large in area and located only a few hundred kilometers from several major U.S. cities. Around 90-10 million tourists come to see the beautiful smoky mountain each year.

The name Smoky Mountains comes from the light haze that rises above them. Hydrocarbons released from plants in combination with humidity cause a bluish tint of interesting sky above the hills.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created on June 15th, 1934, as the process of expropriation of land is extremely long, complex and expensive. The major role played in this was by the Rockefeller family, which helped with a donation of 5 million U.S. dollars. The park officially opened on September 2nd 1940, by President Franklin Roosevelt.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers excellent conditions for mountain tourism and it is within the park that the highest point of the Appalachians lay, reaching 2030 m in altitude. 91 m below the top of the long road, which greatly facilitates tourists to climb to the top, has a magnificent view of the North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia.

The main tourist attraction in the Smoky Mountains is nearly 3500 km long tourist route known as the Transition in Appalachians. It starts from Springer Mountain in Georgia, but its ultimate point is Mount Katahdin in Maine.

There is a rich flora of many wild flowers such as wild carnation, many representatives of lilies and wild orchids. From the high mountain streams originates several rivers and the Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge, which are known places for canoeing and rafting with rubber boats.