Wildlife
Elk, white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, beavers, river otters, woodchucks, chipmunks, red squirrels, northern flying squirrels, eastern gray squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, skunks, weasels, shrews, moles, fish, crayfish, mudpuppies, salamanders, newts, snakes, turtles, frogs, toads, lizards, northern green anoles, skinks, great blue herons, green herons, belted kingfishers, great egrets, pelicans, bald eagles, songbirds, hummingbirds, bats, hawks, peregrine falcons, ospreys, owls, woodpeckers, black vultures, turkey vultures, geese, ducks, wild turkeys, synchronous fireflies, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, and crickets.

Plant Life
Mountain laurel, rhododendrons, azaleas, galax, ivy, ferns, mushrooms, wildflowers such as trilliums, orchids, iris, lilies, fire pink, bleeding heart, and violets, wisteria, sassafras, poison ivy, American beech, yellow birch, dogwoods, sourwoods, basswoods, elm, chestnuts, oaks, hickory, pine trees, white pines, fraser firs, spruce-firs, red spruce, red and mountain maples, yellow poplars, magnolias, eastern hemlocks, and eastern redbuds.

NC Landmarks
Andrews Bald, Basalm Mountain, Beech Grove School, Caldwell House, Clingmans Dome, Gregory Bald, Horace Kephart's last campsite, Indian Creek Falls, Juney Whank Falls, Mingus Mill, Mountain Farm Museum and working grist mill, Mouse Creek Falls, Newfound Gap, Newton Bald, Palmer House and Chapel, Siler Bald, Tom Branch Falls, Will Messer Barn, and Woody House.

Location
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is located in North Carolina and Tennessee. From Raleigh/Durham, take I-40W past Asheville to exit 27 (US 74W) towards Waynesville. Turn onto US 19 and go through Maggie Valley to Cherokee, then turn onto US-441N at Cherokee and follow it into the park.

Hours
Open year round — click here for any closures due to weather or repairs.

External Links
Official Site
Friends of the Smokies