GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

PARK FACTS

Location: Tennessee and North Carolina

Size: 816.3 sq mi (20th)

About the size of: Kiribati

Date Established: June 15, 1934 (21st)

Annual Visitation (2018): 11,421,200 (1st)

Features: mountains, forests, waterfalls

Common activities: Hiking, Sightseeing, Backpacking

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park, found in the heart of Appalachia on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, has the largest old-growth forest east of the Mississippi. It gets its name from the mesmerizing fog that hangs in the air at dawn. With 11 million annual visitors, it is the most visited U.S. national park.