The Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in the country.  The Smoky Mountains gets more annual visitors than the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone combined.

The Great Smoky Mountains has more than 800 miles of hiking trails, more than 90 historic structures, and about 2,900 miles of streams, all of which you can fish in

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of only two locations in the world where you can witness the synchronous fireflies phenomenon.

While the Park may be known better for its black bear population, it is also considered the “Salamander Capital of the World” The Park is home to 24 species of lung-less salamanders.

The Smokies include part of the Appalachian Trail. A 70-mile stretch of the 2,178-mile Appalachian Trail winds through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is within a day’s drive of 60% of the nation.

The Smokies got their name from the Cherokee people. They called it “Shaconage” (shah-con-ah-jey) which means “place of the blue smoke.” The name comes from the blue mist that floats above the peaks of the mountains.

The Great Smoky Mountains is the only national park in the United States that was created using private funds. The government wanted to establish a national park in the east, but it didn’t have enough money to purchase land. Local landowners and John D. Rockefeller donated money, with Rockefeller donating about $5 million dollars, creating the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.