Introduction to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Cloaked in mystery, the Great Smoky Mountains were once known by the Cherokees as sha-cona-ge, "land of the blue mist" (or smoke). According to Cherokee legend, people and animals originally lived in the sky above the ocean. When the sky became overcrowded, a water beetle was sent to find land but could not, so it dove to the bottom of the ocean and brought up mud to form the earth. The Smokies were then formed by a great buzzard whose wings touched the mud, hardening it into a mountain range. Geologists have a counter theory that says this range was actually formed by many upheavals and erosions of the land.

The Great Smoky Mountains, formed hundreds of millions of years ago, are the oldest mountains in the world. They're comprised of peaks that range in elevation from 840 to 6,642 feet. The mountainsides are covered with a wide variety of flora and fauna that have few equals throughout the Temperate Zone.

To preserve the pristine beauty of this environment, Great Smoky Mountains National Park was officially established in June 1934. The area had been threatened with destruction by the logging industry. A librarian from St. Louis, Horace Kephart, spearheaded the effort to save the area. He was joined by several prominent citizens from Knoxville. The National Park Service, John D. Rockefeller, and eventually the federal government backed their efforts. The people gave the government the land, making it the first national park to be created in this fashion. In September 1940, Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Rockefeller monument at Newfound Gap. The park has become one of the most-frequented national parks in the United States, hosting more than nine million visitors annually.

The oval park, bisected by the North Carolina-Tennessee border, encompasses more than 520,000 acres of forests, streams, rivers, waterfalls, and hiking trails. These trails pass through valleys, peaks, forests, and overlooks that provide scenic views. The park also contains balds -- patches of clear land in the midst of the wooded slopes. It's still a mystery why these spots do not support tree growth.

The United Nations has designated the park an International Biosphere Reserve because of its multitude of plants, trees, mammals, birds, and fish. More than 100 species of trees thrive in the park. Growing on some of the relatively drier slopes in the lower to middle elevations (up to 4,500 ft.) are pines, oaks, hickories, yellow poplars, and dogwood trees. Hike the trails at Cades Cove and Laurel Falls to see the species that are typical of this elevation. In several areas, you can find gigantic ancient hemlocks that escaped the loggers' destruction; these hemlocks are located along trails leading from the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail to Grotto Falls or from the Newfound Gap Road to Alum Cave Bluffs. At slightly higher elevations are hardwoods typical of those that grow in northern states: beeches and yellow birches. Look for these species at Newfound Gap and along Clingmans Dome Road. The higher elevations (above 4,500 ft.) support evergreens such as the Fraser fir and red spruce, which you can find along the Appalachian Trail through most of the eastern half of the park, as well as along Clingmans Dome Road.

Abundant wildflowers offer a kaleidoscope of colors in spring and early summer and a blanket of lush greenery in later summer. Often non-native flowers -- trilliums, violets, lady's slippers, and jack-in-the-pulpits -- have taken over entire areas. Blooming shrubs, numbering more than 1,500 species, are scattered throughout the park. The height of the blooming season is in mid-June, when you'll find rhododendrons, mountain laurels, and azaleas in full glory. The best places to look for these blooms are among the various balds (such as Gregory, Andrews, and Silers) and along the Cove Hardwoods Nature, the Chimney Tops, and the Noah Bud Ogle Farm trails.

As you ascend the peaks, you'll travel through the blue mists that once were wholly the work of Mother Nature. Unfortunately, they are now composed of almost 70% pollution from factories and cities, and are causing damage to the delicate balance of this area's ecosystem. Pollution has also reduced visibility by 30% over the past several decades. Yet, as you traverse the park, the mists still surround you with a centuries-old aura of mystery.

The park is the home of more than 200 species of birds. The junco, a small gray bird with white outer tail feathers, patrols the parking lots of Newfound Gap and Clingmans Dome. Although wild turkeys appear throughout the park, you'll most likely view them in the early-morning and evening hours around Cades Cove. More than 70 types of fish and 30 varieties of amphibians can be found in the streams, including the red-cheeked salamander, which lives only in the park.

More than 70 species of mammals live in the park, known especially for its black bears that weigh an average 200 to 300 pounds. Other mammals are white-tailed deer, groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, and bobcats. Park rangers stress that no visitor should try to approach or feed these creatures -- for the safety of both humans and animals.