Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a nature lover's paradise, is the most visited national park in America. The peacefulness of the Smokies provides a perfect place for getaways to rejuvenate from the stress of everyday life.

The beauty of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is displayed in its awesome waterfalls, cool mountain rivers, wildflowers, floral and fauna, and the glory of fall as the tree leaves change to brilliant colors of red, orange, and gold. Encompassing over 500,000 acres of forest land, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is situated in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. The Great Smoky Mountains, the majestic climax of the Appalachian Highlands, are a wildlands sanctuary preserving the world's finest examples of temperate deciduous forest. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts unspoiled forests similar to those the early settlers found. Wildflowers and migrating birds abound in late April and early May. Autumn's pageantry of colors in the Smoky Mountains usually peaks in mid-October. Some 800 miles of trails thread the whole of the Smoky Mountains natural fabric - and its waterfalls, coves, balds, and rushing streams. The Great Smoky Mountains, a wild landscape rich with traces of its human past, calls people back year after year. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad offers breathtaking views of the Smoky Mountains and Fontana Dam.

Whatever season you choose to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you will find many things to do to make your vacation fun and relaxing. Cades Cove is the National Park's open air museum. Cades Cove's lush valley is surrounded by mountains and is one of the most popular destinations in the Great Smokies. Throughout the Cove you will see historic buildings, including rustic log homes of original residents of the Cove, several churches, an old mill, molasses making equipment, and cemeteries.

Lots of rain and cool temperatures have already caused leaves in higher elevations to start changing colors. Smoky Mountain foliage color takes your breath away, and the landscape will stir your soul. The best time to see the Fall Colors is from mid-October to mid-November.
Fall Foliage Tour

As nature puts on its spectacular show, take a drive along one of the scenic driving trails or over the mountain on Highway 441 between Gatlinburg TN and Cherokee NC where you will find breathtaking vistas and waterfalls. Another favorite drive is on Little River Road between Gatlinburg TN and Townsend TN. If you look closely just before Metcalf Bottoms you will see a very high waterfall through the foliage. Cades Cove offers majestic scenery and many historic buildings, including a grist mill.

Enjoy a fall foliage biking tour in Townsend or Cades Cove and enjoy nature's show at a more leisurely pace and still have energy for other fall activities such as harvest festivals, craft shows, and apple and pumpkin picking.

News from Great Smoky Mountains National Park: News from the Villages

The Little River/Jakes Creek Trail access road in the Elkmont area will be closed to public use from July 6 through August 31 to aid in the next phase of a construction improvement project.

> Three senior National Park Service managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have been awarded the U.S. Department of Interior Honor Award for Superior Service - June 17, 2010
>Girls Summer Science Camp - March, 2010
> Newfound Gap Road Designation as a Scenic Byway
> New Oconaluftee Visitor to Be Built - February 24, 2009
> Smokemont Riding Stables Now Offers Wagon Rides
> 75th Anniversary Web Site
> Ginseng Poachers Conviction Includes Jail Time

News from the Villages