The Smarter Way to Visit America’s Most Popular National Park

near my husband, both of us perched carefully on the edge of Twentymile Creek Cascades, while a half-dozen light blue butterflies the size of nickels fluttered around our boots. We could hear the water rushing over rocks below us, the creek swollen from a late-summer storm we’d just barely missed. Around us, it felt as though the forest was breathing, and finally I realized we were, too. Deeply, fully breathing.

Maybe it was because we’d just driven down “The Tail of the Dragon,” a stretch of scenic highway with 318 turns in 11 miles, or maybe it was because this was our first real vacation since the Covid pandemic turned the world upside down, but the calm that settled on us was almost palpable. In this part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are no crowds, no choked parking lots, not even cellphone service.

Look at the numbers, and it’s obvious the term “popular” barely covers it: The Great Smoky Mountains received more than three times as many visitors in 2020 as Yellowstone, last year’s second most-visited national park. And now, over the past year, even more people have headed to this park that straddles the boundary line between eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, encompassing more than a half-million acres of old-growth forests and some of the tallest mountains in Appalachia.

When many consider the Smoky Mountains, their first thoughts often edge toward wildly popular family vacation spots in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and nearby Pigeon Forge, Tenn. There you’ll find a plethora of attractions and distractions from the natural beauty on display, sometimes just a few steps from putt-putt courses, dinner theaters, as-seen-on-TV stores, pancake restaurants and old-timey photography studios.

But even with more than 12 million visitors a year, and record-setting monthly visitation since the park reopened in June 2020 following the pandemic lockdown, it is not only possible but uniquely gratifying to capture moments of solitude here.

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

U.S. national security adviser visits Brazil, meets with BolsonaroU.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met on Thursday with Brazilian far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on a visit focused on democracy and regional security, climate change and cooperation in response to COVID-19. wow mattosguille de novo?
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »

Penn National acquires theScore for $2 billion, earning access to Canada's betting marketPenn National's purchase of Toronto-based media company theScore allows the company to obtain in-house technology and grows its presence across North America.
Source: CNBC - 🏆 12. / 72 Read more »

Shares of theScore close up 79% after Penn National announces plans to buy the company for $2 billionPenn National's purchase of Toronto-based media company Score Media and Gaming allows the company to grows its presence across North America.
Source: CNBC - 🏆 12. / 72 Read more »

What is the Antiquities Act?Theodore Roosevelt used the act to create 150 national forests and five national parks during his time in the White House good luck
Source: TheEconomist - 🏆 6. / 92 Read more »

All the ways America failed to stop the 9/11 terrorist attacksU.S. intelligence was oblivious as the terrorists moved closer to succeeding in their monstrous plot. Day by day, Newsweek reconstructs the road to 9/11. warkin RoadTo911 It could be an INSIDE JOB ..
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »

'We lost Greenville.' Wildfire shuts down national parkGREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A 3-week-old wildfire engulfed a tiny Northern California mountain town, wiping out historic buildings and leaving much of the historic downtown and blocks of homes in ashes, while a new wind-whipped blaze also destroyed homes as crews braced for another explosive run of flames Thursday in the midst of dangerous weather. Whether creating arts, studing, or in other fields, After truly mastering every one’s knowledge, all finals are revolution! Today is an era of revolution, The evil brain-control political class in the world led by China must be overthrown! This goes near the top of the article ⤵️ 'Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in America’s West. Scientists say climate change has made the region much warmer and drier in the past 30 years. ' this adds to the GDP …yep the calculation is that bad
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »