No place this size in a temperate climate can match the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s variety of plants and animal species. Here are more tree species than in Northern Europe, 1500 flowering plants, dozens of native fish, and over 200 species of birds and 60 of animals.

The Cherokee described these mountains as shaconage, meaning “blue, like smoke”.

Alarmed at commercial logging threats to the forests, Congress authorized the park in 1926. Established in 1934, this was among the first national parks assembled from private lands. The states of North Carolina and Tennessee, private citizens and groups, and schools contributed money to purchase these lands for donation to the federal government.

Cades Cove

A “cove” in Smoky Mountain vernacular is a relatively flat valley between mountains or ridges. This particular cove is a showcase for some of the most inspiring natural and cultural treasures that the Southern Appalachian Mountains have to offer.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Cades Cove is its 11-mile one-way Loop Road, a treasure trove of history. When Cades Cove was a farming community, an unpaved, two-way road followed the same general route as the Loop Road. On a good day (meaning few vehicles), driving this Loop will take about an hour. On a bad day (meaning the entire loop is basically a parking lot), who knows how long it takes!