There are not many who have not heard of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This park straddles the ridge line of the Great Smoky Mountains and a part of the Blue Ridge Mountains which is a division of the Appalachian Mountain chain. This national park is visited more than any other in the United States. The Appalachian Trail route runs from Maine to Georgia and the passing through the center of the park.
In 1934 the United States Congress chartered the park and it was dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1940. It covers 814 square miles. It is one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States. The park entrances are located at the towns of Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Cherokee, North Carolina.
Originally, this region was homeland to the Cherokee Indians. In the 18th and 19th century, people began settling the land. President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 and that began the process of eventually forcing of the Indian tribes to move to what is now Oklahoma. Within the park there are 16 mountains reaching higher than 6,000 feet. Elevations range from 876 feet at Abrams Creek to 6,643 feet at the summit, Clingmans Dome. Ascending these mountains is like a trip from Tennessee to Canada. The different elevations mimic the latitude changes found in the entire eastern United States. Normally the average humidity and precipitation is very high, averaging 55 inches in the valleys to 85 inches on the peaks. The only other places that have more rain is the Pacific Northwest and part of Alaska. There is no way to describe the beauty of these mountains. You have to see it to believe it. So, plan a vacation and visit the beautiful Smoky Mountains National Park.
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