In the 1930s and ’40s, Swain County and its residents were forced to give up their land to the Federal Government for the creation of Fontana Lake and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hundreds of people were forced to leave their homes and land that had been in their families for generations. In creating […]
View DetailsOne of the only places within the Great Smoky Mountains where you can view 3 different waterfalls, all within a mile of each other, just outside of Bryson City, NC. For more excitement, you can combine all three in a 2.4 mile or 5-mile loop trail. ¼ mile from the parking lot up a steep […]
View DetailsSoco Falls is a double waterfall only a few miles from Cherokee along Hwy 19 toward Maggie Valley. At only a five-minute walk down a well-maintained trail, you reach the viewing platform for the falls. Be advised however that it is not recommended to travel off the viewing platform as the surrounding trails are known […]
View DetailsJust outside of the National Park, on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, is Mingo Falls. Taller than most trees at an astounding 120 feet, this waterfall is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in all seasons. With approximately 150 steps up to the waterfall from the parking lot, the trail is rated as Moderate and is […]
View DetailsDid you know that the Blue Ridge Parkway connects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia? Being the longest linear Park, stretching 469 miles and covering over 93,000 acres of land, it is one of the most unique roads to travel in America. At a seemingly minute […]
View DetailsAlthough the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established in 1934, it wasn’t until September 2nd, 1940, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the park at Newfound Gap. Now, over 80 years later, you can still stand in the very same spot as President Roosevelt once did, all those years ago. At an elevation of […]
View DetailsAs the 3rd largest mountain east of the Mississippi, the observation tower at the top of Clingmans Dome offers stunning 360-degree views of the surrounding Smoky Mountains and beyond. There is a paved, but steep, half-mile walking trail to the observation tower at the top. Once in the tower, you can see up to 100 […]
View DetailsAbout a half-mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Mountain Farm Museum is Mingus Mill. Originally built in the late 1800s, Mingus Mill is a historic gristmill that uses a water-powered, cast iron turbine to power all of the machinery in the building. Between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm from mid-March […]
View DetailsAs one of only two trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in which bicycles and leashed dogs are permitted, the Oconaluftee River Trail is one of the most heavily traveled trails in the National Park. At only 1.5 miles long (3 miles round trip), the river trail follows along the Oconaluftee River and […]
View DetailsA collection of historic log buildings gathered throughout the Great Smoky Mountains and preserved on a single site. Most of the structures, including a house, barn, apple house, blacksmith shop, springhouse, and smokehouse, were collected and moved to the site in the 1950s, about 20 years after the National Park was established. The Mountain Farm […]
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