GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

THERE IS ONE park in America that is so big, grand, biodiverse, and culturally rich that it has the word “Great” in its name—Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And just one look at the landscape, with the mountains rising in layers as they elevate toward the sky, leaves no doubt about how the word “Smoky” came to describe the area.

WHERE TO STAY

Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. There are four gateway towns you can stay in that lead into the park—Townsend and Gatlinburg on the Tennessee side, and Cherokee and Bryson City on the North Carolina side.