The main ridge in the Smokies runs east-west and divides the Park into two very distinct halves; the south, or North Carolina side, and the north, or Tennessee side. There are some significant differences in the two halves of the Park. The north side has roads along most of its length while the south side does not. Consequently the approaches to the north side of the park are more commercialized than those to the south side, especially the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. However, the south side does have Cherokee, very much a tourist destination. Trails leading up to the main ridge from the north side are often steeper than those leading up from the south side.

Within the Park there are three popular tourist areas. In Tennessee there is Cades Cove with its old buildings and deer. In North Carolina there is Cataloochee with its old buildings and elk. Bisecting the Park is the paved road from Gatlinburg to Cherokee. It and the road between Newfound Gap and Clingman’s Dome have some spectacular views. All these tourist areas have very severe problems with crowds and traffic.

For the hiker or backpacker with no particular trails in mind either side of the Park is a good place to go.

Visitor Centers

The Park has two visitor centers; Sugarlands, west of Gatlinburg and Oconoluftee, north of Cherokee. One of these should be your first stop in the Park. You can get help with trip planning, permits, books, and maps at either Visitor Center.

Maps

There are a number of good maps of the Smokies. The official trail map is the place to start while the National Geographic Trails Illustrated map (#229) of the park offers more detail. These maps and the USGS quads covering the Park can all be purchased in many outdoor stores and at the Park Visitor Centers.

Books

There are a great many books on the Smokies, representing a great many different levels of usefulness. For hikers the “brown book”, Hiking Trails of the Smokies published by the Great Smoky Mountains History Association, is indispensable. For the history-minded, the best book is “The Wild East” by Margaret Lynn Brown. These two books are both available at Park Visitor Centers.

There is a wealth of trip-planning information available on the Web. What follows is a very small selection of the useful and interesting sites. We have tried to pick sites with many links to other sites.

General and Overview Sites

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/ The place to start. The “In Depth” link leads to great deal of comprehensive and well-organized information.

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_park/tn/index_great.htm Good content and an excellent collection of links to other sites

http://www.awalkinthewoods.com/ Guides, Equipment Rentals and Shuttle Service

Hike descriptions for both sides of the Park

http://www.novagate.com/~ahines/mountain/

http://www.great.smoky.mountains.national-park.com/hike.htm

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Forest/1691/hiking.html

http://www.carolinamtnclub.com/chooseall.htm

Information on different sections of the Park

http://www.fontanavillage.com/ General information as well as ferry service across Fontana Lake and trail information.

http://www.smokiestraveler.com/guide.htm Townsend area

http://www.allthesmokies.com/ Info on the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge

http://www.smokiesguide.com/ Strong on lodging and directions, especially on the Tennessee side

http://www.bbonline.com/nc/region1.html B&B in WNC

http://www.smokeymountains.net/ Waynesville Area

http://www.abbeyinn.com/html/cataloochee_valley.htm Cataloochee

http://www.hikertohiker.org/smkhike/Hsmklist.html Deep Creek and Lakeshore Trail

http://www.greatsmokies.com/ Bryson City area

http://hikingthecarolinas.com/ NC Side

http://www.johnnymolloy.com/linkedpages/daohits.html Hazel Creek