Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a national park in Tennessee and North Carolina in the United States. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is along the Great Smoky Mountains, which are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is connected to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia by the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is the most visited national park in the United States.[3]
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
 Entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, from Cherokee, North Carolina | |
| Location | Counties in North Carolina and Tennessee, USA |
| Nearest city | Cherokee, North Carolina and Gatlinburg, Tennessee |
| Area | 522,419 acres (211,415 ha)[1] |
| Visitors | 9,008,830 (in 2011)[2] |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | VII, VIII, IX, X |
| Designated | 1983 (7th session) |
| Reference no. | 259 |
| State Party |  United States |
| Region | North America |
There are many elevations in the park. The lowest place is Abrams Creek at 876 feet (267 m). The highest point is Kuwohi at 6,643 feet (2,025 m). Sixteen mountains in the park reach higher than 6,000 feet (1829 m).[4]
Park officials say there are more than 200 species of birds, 66 species of mammals, 50 species of fish, 39 species of reptiles, and 43 species of amphibians, including many lungless salamanders. The park has about 1,500 black bear[5] In 2001 elk were brought to the park.
Over 100 species of trees grow in the park. The lower forests are mostly deciduous leafy trees. At higher altitudes, there are more coniferous trees. The park has over 1,400 flowering plant species and over 4,000 species of non-flowering plants.
There are 850 miles (1,368 km) of trails and unpaved roads in the park for hiking. The park also offers backpacking and camping.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Media
The Becky Cable House in the Cades Cove Historic District was built in 1879.
The John Ownby Cabin in The Sugarlands valley was built in 1860.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina Topographic Map.
Trees in the Smoky Mountains, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Cove hardwood forest along Cosby Creek
The autumn colors of the northern hardwood canopy near Newfound Gap give way to the dark-green spruce-fir canopy as altitude increases
Spruce fir stand near the summit of Kuwohi
Rhododendron atop the Ben Parton Lookout
An American black bear (Ursus americanus) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Black bears are the animals most commonly associated with the park.
These elk are part of a herd which was transplanted to Cataloochee in 2001, in an attempt to reintroduce the species to the Appalachians in North Carolina
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References
- ↑ "Listing of acreage as of December 31, 2011" (PDF). Land Resource Division, National Park Service.
- ↑ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
- ↑ GSMNP main page - National Park Service
- ↑ "Natural Features & Ecosystems". US National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ↑ "Black Bears - Great Smoky Mountains National Park". National Park Service.
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