Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains National Park Is The Most Visited Park In The Country, And It's Easy To See Why

Every year more than 12 million tourists make their way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, making it the most-visited national park in the United States. The second-most-visited park is Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, clocking a tidy 3.8 million visitors, which is still eons below the east Tennessee behemoth. Learn a little bit more about the famed Great Smoky Mountains and their misty, legendary beauty below. There’s something to them, these ancient mountains shrouded in fog. Maybe it’s a little magic.

Doug Kerr - Flickr.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for the beauty of its ancient mountain range, as well as the expansive diversity of both wildlife and plant life throughout the park.

JR P - Flickr

The sprawling National Park remains the most visited in the United States, and it straddles both North Carolina and Tennessee. Most people know the park as a partial home to the famed Appalachian Trail.

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Greg Zenitsky - Flickr

Hiking routes stripe the park, offering views of sprawling meadows, ancient forests, and blooming wildflowers throughout the year. The highest point in the park is Clingmans Dome, and Cades Cove offers a myriad of historic buildings and educational opportunities regarding early settlers to the area.

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Tim Lumley - Flickr

There's no lack of things to do in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some of the most popular attractions include fishing, hiking, horseback riding, and waterfall peeking. Visitors bring their mountain bikes for a bit of adventure along the rocky trails, and there's a series of ranger-led programs for folks of all ages. The park itself stretches over half a million acres across east Tennessee and western North Carolina.

dcovertini - Flickr

Not up for hiking? No worries! The Great Smoky Mountains are just as beautiful to drive through as to hike. If you're looking for more of a city vibe, we'd recommend checking out the fun and kitschy experiences in Gatlinburg or Sevierville. Rent a cabin in Townsend if you'd rather ditch the tourist trope for a quiet place all your own! It's known as the "Peaceful Side of the Smokies" and tends to be less frequented by out-of-state folks.

Tim Lumley - Flickr

From cascading waterfalls to meandering hiking routes and wildflower walks, there is truly so much natural beauty in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It remains the most visited in the nation in part due to its location, but also for its grand and vast beauty. Where else will you find such a picturesque misty morning, mountains shrouded with dew?

dcovertini - Flickr

You can visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at any time of the year depending upon what experience you're looking for. The summertime offers a temperate respite for hot southerners, and the wintertime provides snow-covered cabins that look torn straight from a storybook. It's all up to you, so you can't go wrong.

Have you visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Have you camped under the stars, seen a black bear ambling through the forest, come across a bloom of magical wildflowers, bright and brilliant along a hiking trail? There’s something so beautiful about this shared natural space, and if you’re looking to plan your own trip we’d recommend heading to the National Park Service official website.

Tennessee is a true dream, and if you’re looking for a place to stay in style might we recommend Sassy Springs, a stunning glampground getaway?