| The Great Smoky Mountain National Park has | | | | attracts nearly 10 Million visitors a year and this |
| been described as "The most magical national | | | | makes it the most popular national park in the US. |
| park in the United States of America". | | | | The most popular time of the year and the |
| The Smoky Mountains or "Smokies" are part of | | | | busiest is the fall when hundreds of thousands of |
| the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United | | | | people drive up through the park to view the |
| States and the whole area is steeped in history, | | | | spectacular autumnal colours. Though not quite as |
| folklore and is incredibly beautiful to boot! | | | | high profile as "New England in the fall", the |
| The Smoky Mountain section of the Appalachians | | | | Smokies probably (in fact they do) attracts more |
| was called "Shaconage" or "Place of Smoke" | | | | visitors. |
| (hence the name) by the native American Indians. | | | | After the fall, the next busiest part of the year is |
| Like most places on the planet however the | | | | the springtime. Thanks to the mild mountain air, |
| Smokies are not without the risk and threat of | | | | the wildflowers and other warm weather |
| environmental damage (some of it caused by | | | | attractions come into their own. The months of |
| humans in the strangest of ways*) caused by | | | | late April and early May are the best times for |
| either industrial Pollution drifting in the from the | | | | viewing the wild flowers. |
| Industrial eastern seaboard of the United States | | | | For those wishing to view the spectacular |
| and at some times of the year exacerbated by | | | | blossoming of the vast amounts of |
| the pollution arising from the vast numbers of | | | | Rhododendrons, then June and July is the time for |
| cars that drive through the National Park on a | | | | you. July is statistically the wettest month of the |
| regular basis. | | | | year with sudden and torrential thunderstorms |
| It has been said that one of the dangers | | | | being quite common. |
| threatening the Smokies is that they could be | | | | The range of temperatures experienced by |
| "loved to death" | | | | visitors to the park is quite wide and it is well |
| *The Park has a problem with Wild Boars and | | | | worth remembering that the higher you go (you |
| even this was caused by man. In 1920, it was | | | | can travel to an altitude of in excess of 6,000 ft) |
| alleged that more than 100 wild boars escaped | | | | it can get quite cool whilst at the same time |
| from a private game reserve in Murphy, North | | | | lower down (below 3-4,000 ft) the temperatures |
| Carolina and they have been causing havoc and | | | | can regularly reach in excess of 90 degrees. |
| tearing up the park ever since. In the early years | | | | The park is open all year round and if you plan |
| of the 21st Century nearly 100 years later and | | | | carefully and well ahead of the busiest weekends |
| the problem of the wild boars still has to be | | | | then a great and magical experience can be had |
| solved! | | | | by everyone. |
| The National Park Service claim the Smokies | | | | |
