The great smoky national park is a place to inhale natural beauty with multiple varieties of animals, trees, landscapes and plants. Its location is western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. In 2024 they had more than 12.2 million tourists and 34,000 guests daily. It is vast, around 522,427 acres or 800 miles. This place saves more than 100 species of trees, 1,500 species of plants, 67 native fishes, and more than 200 species of birds and animals. It is some of the oldest mountains on the earth. The major difference you will see from Tennessee to North Carolina is the number of forests.

People have been living here in the area for a long time. The Paleo Indians and the Cherokee Indians were some of the people to live there. After that European Pioneers reached the area Cherokee Indians lived in around 1026 years ago. The Cherokee Indians had a society, farms, permanent homes and a democratic government. This way of life changed a lot in the 1700s and 1800s. This was because of fights and being forced to leave their hoses by European pioneers.

There are lot of more places to watch like cades cove, Cataloochee valley and many more things. These places demonstrate the guests how amazing this place is and they learn about the people who used to live here. Guests can also see different animals who live there and learn about Cherokee Indians culture.

Where Is the North Carolina Side of the Park?

Whenever someone asks about the North Carolina side of the park they usually mean by the Smoky Mountains National Park. This park is located between the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. The Tennessee side is famous for Gatlinburg; it is the primary gateway of the park and it is very busy. On the other hand the North Carolina side is more peaceful and close to wildlife nature. The main entrance to this side of the park is close to the town of Cherokee and this town is like the entrance to the park and it has river valleys. It is also where the Blue Ridge Parkway starts and it has connection to the history of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Attraction of North Carolina Side of the Park

Primary Gateway: The main entrance of Cherokee is located at the end of the Newfound Gap Road.
Oconaluftee Area: This area is the center for the North Carolina side and it has an amazing Mountain Farm Museum. The museum is an open air collection of wooden buildings.
Deep Creek Trail: This trail is near Bryson city and people like to hike to see waterfalls. Some popular spots are Juney Whank Falls, Tom Branch Falls and Indian Creek Falls. You can also go creek tubing here when the season is right.
Blue Ridge Parkway: Scenic drive starts from Milepost 0 is right at the park entrance and it is 469 miles long. The drive ends depending on which way you are trying to go.
Clingmans Dome OR Kuwohi: The highest point in the park is on the state line. You can access the road to the top mainly from the North Carolina side.
Fontana Reservoir: This fontana reservoir is on the edge of the park and the dam is the tallest in the East U. S. It also provides access to the Hazel creek area.

Best Things to Do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

There are multiple things to do at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and if you are planning for that, what should you do there so you discover the right place. These are some of the things that you can do there to not get bored.

Wildflowers: It is a magical place where more than 1,500 species of flowers are preserved. A group of flowers also known as spring ephemerals they are also above the ground.
Picnicking: The picnicking area is located at several places like metcalf, cosby, Greenbrier, big creek, deep creek, cades cove, chimneys, Heintooga, lock rock and collins creek.
Wildlife viewing: Wildlife animals can be dangerous and unpredictable so please whenever you go close to the animals please do maintain distance around 155 feet. Wildlife viewing can be more Patienceful so please be while doing wildlife viewing.
Bicycling: Bicycles can ride inside the park, cades cove is an exception where people can ride bicycles it is 11 miles one way road famous for bicycling. You can do both things at once: wildlife viewing and cycling.
Fishing: fishing is the most adventures thing you can do because there are several types of fishes. Their fish tastes delicious but please take care and use all the safety equipment.
Horseback Rides: horse riding is the most exciting thing you can do there. It is available from mid-march to late november in scenic park they also have age and weight restriction.

Best Hikes on the North Carolina Side

There are multiple-number of best places for hikes on the North Carolina side. That will keep you busy the whole day with different-different types of hiking places like top mountain hike, waterfall hike, nature hikes and many more. Here mentioned some of the best hike places below:

Mount Mitchell Trail: This place is a tough hike that is around 11 to 12 miles long and you have to walk top of Mount Mitchell. The mountain in the east U.S. is 6,684 feet higher from ground. People like it because it goes up to 3,600 feet and the mountain also has different kinds of animals and plants.
Hawksbill Mountain Trail: This will be 1.4 miles round trip with 4,009 ft tall. It will give the opportunity to watch a 360 degree view. You’ll find some of the beautiful plants and it is an excellent spot for the picnic.
Linville Falls: it is a majestic place and it’s a waterfall in North Carolina. This waterfall is in the Blue Ridge Mountains but people call these mountains the Grand Canyon of the Southern Appalachians Linville. It is special for a three level waterfall. The place is important because it was the first nature reserve area in the United States.
Deep Creek Waterfall Loop: It is an amazing place you will not feel any difficulty while wondering there it is a 2.4 to 4.6 mile round trip. They have three different waterfalls at one place. While there is no park entrance fee visitors must purchase a parking tag $5 daily for stays longer than 15 minutes. There are family friendly activities like tubing, viewing wildflowers and autumn foliage.

Best Time to Visit

The admirablest time to visit is in the summer which is June, July and August and in the fall. October weekends. The place is full because people want to see the autumn foliage. This place has a lot of landscapes with elevation views from 875 feet to more than 6,000 feet. It means the temperature at this place can be very different from the base to the top of the mountain. So you must wear clothes in layers and carry a rain jacket when you visit the place no matter what time of year you go there.

Summer at this place is hot and the temperature can be in the mid 60s in some parts and in the high 80s in the lower parts. In the winter it can be very cold and the temperature can even be in the mid 30s and sometimes the roads are closed because of snow. In the lower parts of the place winter is not as cold and temperature can be in the 50s.

The fall foliage at the place generally starts in mid-September. This is a time to visit because there are not as many people and the prices are low. Most of the snow at this place starts falling from January to March. The spring, from March to May is also a time to visit because there is no crowd at this time. The prices for lodging are low and are open every day. Some of the visitor centers, campgrounds and the old buildings are locked in the winter seasons.

Travel Tips for Visiting

While going on a long trip you should definitely know some important tips like focus on healthy things and safety. There are some tips mentioned below:

Please try to visit the place on weekdays not on weekends.
Stay away from the wild animals and maintain at least 100 yards distance.
Always carry a first aid kit with you for dealing emergency situations.
Download the maps to not get lost.
Wear clothes with multiple layers and also carry rain coats.
Do not forget to wear your comfortable shoes.
Please carry at least one filtered water bottle to stay hydrated.

Where to Stay Near the North Carolina Entrance

There are multiple hotels near the great smoky mountain national park North Carolina. You will get confused when you reach where to stay. Here mentioned some of the amazing hotels with beautiful views and facilities.

Barenberg Cabin: The entire place will be yours and you have some amazing facilities like 3 swimming pools, barbeque facilities, free wifi, Air conditioning, free parking, balcony and many more things.
Sojourn Lodging: Feel the amazing hotel close to the smoky mountain just 15 to 20 miles. You will get amazing facilities, fast wifi connection, delicious food, BBQ facilities, all of this with an amazing view.
The Park Vista hotel: It is a three-star hotel that offers service and it is a convention center located one thousand feet above Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This hotel is famous for its circular design and fifteen story atrium. The hotel has three hundred guest rooms and suites and each room has a balcony for an amazing view.
Glenstone Lodge: This hotel is located in Gatlinburg Tennessee and people love to stay here when they come here to the smoky mountains national park. Because it’s close to everything and two blocks from downtown Gatlinburg. A short walk to Smoky Mountains National Park entrance.

Conclusion

This place is a really huge place and a lot of people go there so it is very important that we do things to protect the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. We must try to recreate this place and try to improvise things. We need to study this place to find new ways to deal with the animals that live in this Park without hurting. This means we should give donations to help and take care of the place and keep it nice. You will enjoy it there with lots of outstanding views and the hotel has amazing food and a beautiful balcony.