The One Place In Tennessee That Must Be Seen To Be Believed

The Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee is constantly overshadowed by the Rockies to the west and Appalachia to the east. It's forgotten by the Badlands, cast to the side when folks think of Big Sur or the Catskills. Our history books may try to forget about this stunning Tennessee stretch of natural wonder, but the people of the United States have spoken. Let's take a quick visit...

10. The whole park is a math problem, you know.

There are 520,000 total acres in the national park, with 244,000 acres in Tennessee and 276,000 in North Carolina. That's more than 800 square miles!

9. Can you guess how many folks visit the park on an annual basis?

It's between nine and ten million visitors, making east Tennessee home to the most visited national park in the United States.

8. Care to fish?

There are more than 2,115 miles of waterways throughout the mountains.

7. We have to say - 1934 was a good year for Tennessee.

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park was established that year, and it is the largest national park this side of the Rockies.

6. There are more than 850 miles of hiking trails in the park.

You can hike for many, many years before you've looped every trail in the book. This is a state you can invest in, for sure.

5. The mountains in the park have aged quite well.

They're figured to be 200 million years old, at least. Some say the mountains may stretch all the way back to 300 million.

4. 1,600 black bears call these woods home.

A designated International Biosphere Reserve, there are also 140 species of trees and 4,000 plan species.

3. Visit Mount LeConte if you hate the heat.

There has never been a temperature over 80 degrees recorded in the area - which is AMAZING.

2. Did you know that the Appalachian Trail runs through the smokies?

Yep, a whole 70 miles of it winds through the eastern side of Tennessee.

1. We can't get enough of Abrams Falls.

The moderate hiking trail to the falls comes in at 6.55 miles and a countless number of stunning views along the way.

This gorgeous place pretty much gives you every reason not to move, but every Tennessean that does crack our state lines inevitably thinks the same handful of things.