Most People Don’t Know Some Of The Oldest Trees In The World Are Found In Tennessee
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Meghan Kraft
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The Great Smoky Mountains stretch across the eastern side of Tennessee, a beautiful expanse of mountains and hills that call to locals and tourists alike. It’s a prime spot for vacationing, a hiker’s dream and a wonderful place for the whole family. Grand beauty aside, most folks don’t know that the forest is the keeper of historic treasure by way of its trees. Curious? Take a look!
The Great Smoky Mountains are known for their significant beauty and untouched wilderness. They're a stunning time capsule of sorts, one of the only places in the state where Tennessee can be found just as wild and rife with beauty as it was hundreds of years ago.
Here it's hard to find a cluster of cookie-cutter houses or power lines. It's all wilderness, all the time — a place for hikers and walkers and nature lovers alike.
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The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is also home to an old-growth forest. Known as both a primary forest or even a late seral forest, this part of the park is known to have grown quite old without serious disturbance.
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Old-growth areas tend to boast a greater expanse of biodiversity amongst both plant and animal life. You'll find many large trees, laced with canopies of leaves high above them, as well as the remnants of dead trees that have fallen due to natural causes. There's little human involvement in the old-growth areas of the park.
It's a neat way to see, first hand, how nature restores itself. All regeneration in an old-growth forest comes from within itself. This allows visitors to get an up-close look at the way the natural world once operated as a whole, and how small parts of it still operate today.
Known as one of the great wonders of the mountains, the old-growth areas of the Great Smoky Mountains continue to be sought after by visitors. You'll find them throughout the park, most popular on the Albright Grove Loop Trail. Keep in mind: these areas are hard to reach for a reason. Be ready for a strenuous hike!
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is beautiful all year round, but we'd recommend visiting during the warmer months. The temperature remains quite comfortable, so you middle and east Tennessee folks can come to cool off at a higher altitude. It's worth the trip every time!
If you’re looking for more information, make sure to check out the Great Smoky Mountains official website.
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