Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee Vacation Idea

nThe Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee is the most visited National Park in the United States. It is rich in Southern Appalachian history spanning thousands of years from the prehistoric Paleo Indians to early European settlement in the 1800s to loggers and Civilian Conservation Corps in the 20th century. The park continues to protect the historic structures, landscapes, and artifacts that tell the variety of stories of people who once lived in the mountains now called “Great Smoky Mountains National Park.”

The first white settlers found a land inhabited by the Cherokee Indians in the late 1700s at the Great Smoky Mountains. The Cherokee Indian tribe was one of the most culturally advanced in the United States with permanent towns, cultivated croplands, sophisticated political systems and extensive networks of trails.n nA tragic episode in 1830 known as the “Trail of Tears” forcibly removed most of the Cherokee Indians to Oklahoma. The few Indians who remained are the ancestors of the Cherokees living near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park today.

The Cherokee Indians who lived in the Great Smoky Mountains area were a branch of the Iroquois nation. Their society was originally based on hunting, trading, and agriculture. They lived in small communities usually in fertile river bottoms. Their homes were wooden frames. Woven vines and saplings plastered with mud were their rooftops. In later years these homes were replaced with log structures.

There is ridge upon ridge of endless forest straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park is world renowned for the diversity of its plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture.

Things to do at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee include:nn• Hiker trails ranging from short leg-stretchers to strenuous treks that may require backcountry camping.n• Car campingn• Fishingn• Picnicsn• Wildlife viewing and touringn• Lots of bears (about 1,600 bears live in the park)n• Smoky Mountains has the most biological diversity of any area in the world’s temperate zone, from big bears, dears, elk down to microscopic organisms living in the parkn• The park is a sanctuary for a magnificent array of animal and plant lifen• Ranger-guided programs and special eventsnnClimate of Great Smoky Mountains National ParknnIt is a moderate climate with mild winters and hot, humid summers. When you plan your trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee keep in mind that temperatures can vary 10 – 20 degrees Fahrenheit from mountain base to top, and clear skies at lower elevations do not guarantee equally pleasant weather on the higher peaks.

Written by: Connie Limon For more information about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and trip planning visit: http://smalldogs2.com/SmokyMountainRetreat For a variety of FREE reprint articles and special topic articles rarely seen elsewhere visit Camelot Articles at http://www.camelotarticles.comnnThis article is FREE to publish with the resource box.nn© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reservednnn