With over 800 miles of hiking and nature trails, the
Great Smoky Mountain National Park offers a wealth
of hiking opportunities for the young, the old,
novices, kids, families, and the experienced long-
range hiker who’s ready for a 12-mile trek. Visitors
to the park have remarked that the only way to
experience the pristine wilderness of the Smokies
is to hike its many trails, where they can smell the
evergreens, and hear the warbling of birds and the
rush of waterfalls. Some of the more than 15
established trails, including portions of the now-famous Appalachian Trail, have waterfalls as high as 75 feet. For
more information, go to www.gosmokies.com and click on “Hiking,” or call the park headquarters at 865-436-1200.
One of the more popular activities for the devoted
escapist is camping, setting up your own world away
from it all in the high country. In the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, sprawling 500 miles
across portions of Tennessee and North Carolina,
camping is a passion. The park has ten “front-
country” sites, in developed areas, plus
“back-country” sites for backpackers. Each of the
front-country sites includes restrooms with cold
running water and flush toilets. Each site also has a
picnic table and fire grate. For detailed information,
including phone numbers, go to www.nps.gov, select Great
Smoky Mountains National Park, and follow the links to “Camping.” To download images of the ten sites, follow the links to “Maps.”