Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, straddling the Tennessee–North Carolina border, is by far the most visited national park in the United States, drawing more than 12 million people a year — more than twice the next busiest. Established in 1934, it protects a rugged, ancient stretch of the southern Appalachians famous for the blue haze, or "smoke," that hangs over its forested ridges, given off by the dense vegetation.

The park is one of the most biodiverse temperate areas on Earth, its range of elevations packing an extraordinary variety of trees, wildflowers, and wildlife — including a famous population of black bears — into the mist-shrouded forest. Clingmans Dome, at 6,643 feet, is the high point. Free to enter and centered on the southern Appalachian heartland, the Smokies remain a beloved and crowded refuge of eastern wilderness.

• North Carolina
  The Tar Heel State, from the Blue Ridge to the Outer Banks located in
• Tennessee
  The Volunteer State, a long ribbon across the South located in
• The Appalachian Mountains
  The ancient, worn mountains of the eastern U.S. protects