PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. -- Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in America and a location millions will mark the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016. Pigeon Forge is a gateway for those visits.

Film producer Ken Burns said our national parks are “America's best idea,” and that's borne out in in this huge piece of wilderness in the populous eastern side of the country.

This vast tract of 500,000 acres was bought with private funds and money from the legislatures of Tennessee and North Carolina and then given to the rest of America through the National Park Service.

Much of the land had been logged over and ruined, but that's difficult to tell today. What you see today is a tribute to the park service, time and the support of friends. Experiences these mountains is a huge reason so many people visit East Tennessee and Western North Carolina each year as tourists.

The mountains take their name from a natural haze that typically envelops them and sweeps across the horizon. Carefully preserved log cabins, picturesque barns and stately churches stand as reminders of the pioneers who carved out a living from this wilderness.

Through the years, fertile soils and abundant rains have encouraged the development of a world-renowned variety of flora, including more than 1,500 varieties of flowering plants. Broadleaf trees dominate the coves, while conifer forests, similar to those found in Canada, are found along the mountains' crests at elevations of more than 6,000 feet.

Visitors enjoy sightseeing along U.S. 441, a scenic mountain road that climbs and winds through Newfound Gap, with a spur out to Clingmans Dome and its observation tower at the highest spot in Tennessee (6,643 feet).

The views along the road are superb, and the panoramic scenes from the tower are breathtaking. However, driving tours offer only a mere introduction to the Smokies.

More than 800 miles of trails wind through the mountains, where hikers can discover magnificent waterfalls, hidden coves and sparkling streams.

There are also short, self-guided nature trails throughout the park. Permits are required for backcountry campsites.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a sanctuary for a variety of animals. Protected in the park are 66 species of mammals, more than 200 varieties of birds, 50 native fish species and more than 80 types of reptiles and amphibians.

The symbol of the Smokies, the American black bear, is perhaps the most famous resident. Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides the largest protected bear habitat in the East. Biologists estimate approximately 1,500 bears live here, a density of approximately two bears per square mile.

Of the 65 other mammal species documented in the park, the white-tailed deer, groundhog, chipmunk and some squirrel and bat species are the most commonly seen. Additionally, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been called the "Salamander Capital of the World." 

There are ten developed campgrounds. Many park streams provide year-round fishing for rainbow, brown and brook trout. A Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license is required.

Information about the gateway community of Pigeon Forge is at MyPigeonForge.com, and information about the park is at NPS.gov/grsm.

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Contact:

Tom Adkinson, APR

615-341-8796

tadkinson@bohanideas.com