What Makes the Smokies So Special?
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is indeed a very special place. Here, we list some of the features making it special: Diversity. More than 4,000 different species of plants grow here. Walking from the base to the peak of a mountain takes you through a climate changes that is equivalent to travelling 1,250 miles north. Several resident plants and animals live only in the Smokies. Rich cultural history. From the Cherokee Indians, to the Scotch-Irish settlers, this land has served as home to a variety of cultures and people. Many historic structures remain standing. Subsistence turned to exploitation as logging concerns stripped the region of timber. Today we are restoring the legacy, and now recovery is now the dominant theme. Nine million visits per year. The National Park Service balances the needs of the land–and the future–with the desires of today’s visitors as well as future visitors. The Park is an International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. These important in
