Ultimate Smoky Mountains

One of the most accessible of the country's national parks, Great Smoky Mountains NP is by far the most visited--averaging some 10 million visitors each year (for comparison, Grand Canyon NP averages 5.5 million annually). It covers 814 square miles in Tennessee and North Carolina. The park offers a wide variety of outdoor activities for the visitor: great hiking and camping, scenic driving routes, wildlife watching, stunning photography opportunities, paddling, fishing, climbing, and streamside rambling, as well as a number of historic sites. Highlights of a visit to the park include: Climbing Clingmans Dome Fabulous Vistas at Cades Cove Wildlife Watching at Roaring Fork Photographing Grotto Falls Rafting Pigeon River Exploring Elkmont Ghost Town Camping at Cataloochee Picnicking at the Chimneys Fishing Little River Solitude of Upper Tremont Road Biking the Loop Road

Andrew Kyle Saucier is a freelance writer specializing in travel and the outdoors. He is a regular contributor to the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development website TNvacations.com and has explored GSMNP many times over the years. He lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Tony Sweet is an award-winning photographer who offers photography workshops across the country, including in GSMNP, which he has photographed extensively. He is the author of five how-to books published by Stackpole. He lives in Eldersburg, Maryland.