Appalachian Mountains National Park: The Great Smoky Mountains

A subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, The Smoky Mountains National Park is 520,000 acres and spans across Tennessee and North Carolina border. The Mountains in the park can range from approximately 875 feet to 6,643 feet above sea level. The Great Smoky Mountains are named for the large mist that seems to blanket the tops of the mountains. The Cherokee call the mountains shaconage, meaning “place of the blue smoke”. If you are going to spend the weekend in the park there are a few things you have to do while you are there. Hiking any of the trails through the mountains, touring the historic buildings and log cabins, and taking advantage of the snow covered mountains are all musts for visiting The Smokies. The Great Smoky Mountains National …show more content…
Only accessible by vehicle, there are nine stops for you to get out and walk around any of the twenty-nine landmarks. Cades Cove was originally a hunting ground for the Cherokee Indians before European settlers built homesteads around 1820. Each of the buildings can be entered and explored along with the many short paths through the surrounding woods. While you are here keep an eye out of white-tailed deer, black bears, and coyotes. Crossing the border into North Carolina and hearing to the southernmost part of the park will bring you to Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill. The Mountain Farm Museum is a collection of log cabins from around the Smokies preserved on one cite. The buildings include a house, barn, applehouse, springhouse, and smokehouse and working blacksmith shop. Most of the cabins were built sometime in the late 19th century but they were all moved to the Museum in the 1950s. Two trails start at the site, one following the Oconaluftee River, the other leading to the historical Mingus …show more content…
It's open year round and houses a “Water park” during the summer; however, it's only one water slide, so people only visit in the winter for the snow sports. In order to get to Ober you have to drive through downtown Gatlinburg and back up into the Smoky Mountains. As soon as you arrive head into the main building to purchase your tickets and rent any gear you may need. They rent out skis and snow boards of all sizes, along with ski poles and lockers. Once you have all of your gear head to the lockers to put on your snow suits and thermal ware and ensure that all valuables are locked up. When you head out the back towards the slopes the first thing you will see is the gorgeous snow covered mountain glistening in the sunlight. When you look to your left you can see a large hill of tightly packed snow. If you head over there you can pick up your tubes or sleds for an afternoon of tubing. Just like sledding you grab your tube carry it up the hill and then slide down the hill as fast as you