Tellers of tall tales claim this country once was so dense with trees that squirrels could travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River without ever touching the ground. Today's scientists tell a true story that seems just as fantastical: 80 percent of the virgin forest in the eastern United States is in North Carolina and Tennessee—in a grand, 500,000-acre wilderness called the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Amazingly, there are more kinds of trees in the Smokies than can be found in all of Northern Europe, while down on the forest floor, there are more species of salamanders (at least 26) than anywhere else in the world. This is one of the few places in the East where your family can see bears in the wild—as many as 600 live in the forest. Red wolves, an endangered species, have been reintroduced to the park, and sightings are not uncommon. River otters have been spotted on Little River and Abrams Creek. There are frequent sightings of white-tailed deer, woodchucks, cottontail rabbits and squirrels. Raccoon, opossums, skunks, bobcats, red and gray foxes, weasels and mink all live in the park but are seen less often.

Abundant wildlife is not the only reason this is the most visited national park in the country. Up high, you can look out upon an endless panorama of majestic mountains. Down below, in the wooded foothills, you can visit the remnants of pioneer settlements: log cabins, one-room schoolhouses, blacksmith shops, and gristmills. Families can hike to hidden waterfalls, picnic next to rushing streams, fish in clear waters, ride horses along mountain trails, bicycle through a restored pioneer village, watch a miller at work, jump from rock to rock across a creek, run through thousands of wildflowers and listen to park rangers tell stories around a campfire.


VISITOR INFORMATION
The park is open year-round, 24 hours a day. Admittance to the park is free. From the North Carolina side of the park, the major entrance is 3 miles north of Cherokee. Oconaluftee Visitor Center is just inside the entrance. Open year-round except for Christmas Day, it has pioneer exhibits and demonstrations as well as general information.

The major entrance point from the north is Sugarlands Visitor Center, near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Open all year, the center has an orientation film and natural history exhibits.

A third visitor center is at Cades Cove, 15 miles from Townsend, Tennessee. Smaller than the other two centers, this facility operates from mid-April through October.

To celebrate National Parks Week, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will hold a variety of special programs. For information, call 865-436-1200.


BEST BETS

BEST SCENIC DRIVE
The Sugarlands and Oconaluftee visitor centers, on opposite sides of a mountain pass, are connected by 32-mile-long Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441), the most traveled road in the park and the only road across the high-backed mountains. You go through two tunnels and spiral through The Loop, where the highway literally crosses over itself. There are numerous pull-offs, including one at Newfound Gap, with excellent views.

BEST SCENIC VIEW
Clingmans Dome Road, which turns off of the Newfound Gap Road, follows the crest of the Smokies to the highest point in the park (6,642 feet). From the parking area, you can hike a steep, half-mile trail to the observation tower with a 360-degree view.

BEST EASY WALK
Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail is a level, 3/4-mile paved trail in the woods, complete with multimedia exhibits designed to enhance the learning experience.

BEST HIKE
Laurel Falls, a 2.5-mile loop, starts out on a paved, self-guided nature trail and leads to a spectacular waterfall.

BEST SUNSET AND SUNRISE SPOT
Look Rock, off the western segment of the Foothills Parkway, is an observation ledge with a sweeping view of the mountains. A half-mile trail leads to a lookout tower with an even better view in every direction.

BEST WILDLIFE VIEWING
Cades Cove, the only open valley area in the park, offers the best chance of easily spotting wildlife.

BEST FAMILY PROGRAM
For many families, the free planned activities offered at the Great Smokies from April through October are a highlight of their visit. Walks are offered during various times of the day. One favorite is the evening flashlight walk, which allows families to discover the forest after dark. Also popular is the morning walk to a 100-year-old school, followed by a session of old-time teaching. In the summer, talks are presented nightly in outdoor amphitheaters at the major campgrounds. Rangers lead the fun, answer questions and invite you to cook marshmallows over the campfire.

BEST DAY EXCURSION
Just outside the park's southern entrance, your family can explore the region's Native American heritage by visiting the amazing, 56,000-acre, active Cherokee Indian Reservation; the Oconaluftee Indian Village (a smaller, re-created 1750s village); and the Museum of the Cherokee.

COOLEST ANIMAL TO LOOK FOR
Red wolves, once nearly extinct, can sometimes be glimpsed in Cades Cove.

COOLEST VEGETATION TO LOOK FOR
Some of the park's old-growth trees are more than 100 feet tall and 12 to 18 feet in circumference. These include hemlock, red spruce and yellow buckeye.

BEST LIVING-HISTORY DEMONSTRATION IN THE PARK
There are two working, water-powered gristmills that grind corn into meal. Mingus Mill is near Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Cable Mill is in Cades Cove.

BEST ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR SIGHT-SEEING
Go horseback riding on trails through forests and fields. The following companies offer guided rides: McCarter's Riding Stables (865-436-5354); and Smoky Mountains Riding Stables (865-436-5634), near the northern entrance.

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated June 2005.