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N O RT H C A R O L IN A A N D T EN N ESS EE
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is best-known for its misthung peaks and valleys, incredible biodiversity, bountiful, leafy forests and proliferation of year-round wildflowers. Featuring a segment of the Appalachian Trail, plentiful streams, rivers and waterfalls appear along hiking routes. There is an observation tower atop Clingmans Dome, the park’s highest peak, offering sky-high
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UNITED VAN LINES NATIONAL PARKS GUIDE
panoramas of the ancient, fogshrouded mountains. Preserving rich Southern Appalachian history, the human history in the park dates back thousands of years, from the prehistoric Paleo Indians to early European settlers, loggers and — in the 20th century — the Civilian Conservation Corps.
documented species, though experts believe an additional 80,000100,000 species may live within the 800-square-mile boundary. Set in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, no other area of equal size in a temperate climate hosts this level of diversity. In fact, there are more than 1,000 species never seen anywhere else in the world. With elevations ranging from
T HE F LO RA A N D FAU N A
approximately 875 to 6,643 feet, the
The most biodiverse park in the
park’s gently contoured mountains —
National Park System, Great Smoky
formed as far back as 300 million years
Mountains protects over 19,000
ago — are blanketed in plants. In fact,
SOUTHEAST
