Exhibits in the center provide an overview of the history of the area and the rare sprucefir forest ecosystem. Oconaluftee visitor center, great smoky mountains national park. Visitor centers in great smoky mountains national park. Located on us 441 two miles north of cherokee at the park entrance, the oconaluftee visitor center is the parks main welcome and information center for the north carolina side.
A male elk lays in a field along us 441, north of the oconaluftee visitor center in the great smoky mountains national park on oct. With over 11 million visitors each year, the great smoky mountains national park is, by far, the most visited national park in the united states. Best mountain biking trails in great smoky mountains national. Oconaluftee visitor center holiday homecoming heysmokies. Begin your exploration of the park at a visitor center. Theres over 800 square miles of land that is made up of hiking trails, driving tours and historic sites, so theres a. An extensive collection of trail guides atsugarlands visitor centersat this great smoky national park visitors center, you can find a map for almost every trail in the park. Download the official national park map to see the major park roads, rivers, park visitor centers, and the appalachian trail which bisects the park. The oconaluftee visitor centerthe first visitor center in great smoky mountains national park built since the 1960sserves as a fantastic introduction to this most popular of u. Sugarlands visitors center, great smoky mountains national park. You dont have to be scottish in order to enjoy this unique. Great smoky mountains national park visitor centers gifts. Online store for books, maps, and guides to the park. Has great smoky mountains national park reached its.
For your convenience, here is a guide to each of the visitor centers in the park. Mountain farm museum great smoky mountains national park. Review of oconaluftee visitor center in national park. Your guide to the smoky mountain visitor centers visit my smokies. The national park service maintains four official visitor centers inside great smoky mountains national park. This steep 4miler gains 1,400 feet in just two miles. The sugarlands visitor center features a 21minute movie about the great smoky mountains national park, nature exhibits, hiking see below, park exhibits, gift. The townsend spring festival features bluegrass and mountain music, arts and crafts booths, wildflower walks, demonstrations of appalachian skills, traditional food including bbq, ice cream, and cast iron cooking. Great smoky mountains national park visitor center in cherokee nc.
The closures are in response to efforts to inhibit the spread of the coread more. Formerly the site of a cherokee village and appalachian community, the valleys bottomland is now home to the main entrance to the north carolina side of the great smoky mountains national park the oconaluftee area parallels the oconaluftee river as its basin gradually. Great smoky mountains national park mountain biking. Smoky mountain information on visitor center hours, locations, exhibits and. Sugarlands was a very nice little visitor center and there were several excellent trails that originated from the visitors center, which was very convenient. Stop at sugarlands visitor center to view a free 20minute film about the park. Oconaluftee visitor center and mountain farm museum in.
Visitor centers in great smoky mountains national park my. Inside, exhibits on human history teach about native americans, pioneers, and the development of the national park. Great smoky mountains national park visitor centers gifts books. Four visitor centers are located within the national park at cades cove. Great smoky mountains national park is almost open with. Jul 26, 2017 check out two museums in this visitor center just north of cherokee, nc. Great smoky mountains national park oconaluftee visitor. Gps went out halfway back its roughly 4 miles outback from the gatlinburg parkway. The cades cove visitor center is located inside the park near the midpoint of the oneway cades cove loop road. Details about driving distances, directions, current weather and road conditions can all be obtained at the visitor center.
Oconaluftee visitor center and mountain farm museum in great. In 2011, the current, much more spacious building opened as the first great smoky mountains national park visitor center to be built since the 1960s. This visitor center is located just 2 miles inside the gatlinburg entrance to the park on us441. Great smoky mountains national park gatlinburg, tn. Great smoky mountains national park visitor center information. Stop into one of these convenient smoky mountain visitor centers to learn more about the national park, plan your visit, speak with a park ranger, or to purchase great smoky mountain national park merchandise. The gatlinburg trail begins behind great smoky mountains national parks maintenance. Theres over 800 square miles of land that is made up of hiking trails, driving tours and historic sites, so theres a way for everyone to see the smokies. At 10 am on saturday, may 9, the heritage center will reopen its outdoor facilities the village as well. The sugarlands visitor center features a 21minute movie about the great smoky mountains national park, nature exhibits, hiking see below, park exhibits, gift shop, restrooms, and plenty of free parking.
Great smoky mountains national park visitor centers. Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between north carolina and tennessee in great smoky mountains national park. Its one of the most popular in great smoky mountains national park, so hit the trail early to miss the crowds. Stop in and we will help make your great smoky mountains and blue ridge parkway vacation one youll never forget. The visitor center provides information on the park, including maps and other information. The 10 best great smoky mountains national park visitor centers. There are three entrances to great smoky mountains national park from gatlinburg, and every one takes you into a section of the 800 square miles of unspoiled appalachia. The sugarlands visitor center provides a fantastic introduction to the great smoky mountains national park with maps, natural history exhibits and a free 20minute film about the park. This is your source for park information if you arrive from gatlinburg, tennessee, which is located only a few miles outside the park boundary. Great smoky mountains national park sugarlands visitor center. What to pack for a great smoky mountains park vacation. Oconaluftee visitor center great smoky mountains national. Great smoky mountains national park offers 800 miles of trails to accommodate hikers of all levels.
Smoky mountain national park hours visit my smokies. Welcome to the great smoky mountains national park information page. Townsend is the peaceful side of the smokies, a gateway community to the great smoky mountain national park. Though the sky harbor resort area is located just on the other side of gatlinburg, these rentals are still only minutes away from the sugarlands entrance to the national park and the smokies main visitor center. Enjoy your ride, but please be careful around pedestrians on the trail.
The main visitor centers are sugarlands and oconaluftee. Additionally, these smoky mountain visitor centers offer. Highway 441 newfound gap road near cherokee, north carolina. Avian report get outside great smoky mountains national park visitors guide,national parks,smoky mountains great smoky mountains national park simonflickrcc by 2. From nearby laurel falls to the chimney tops, youll find the location and routes to some of the the favorite trails in the smokies as well as hidden gems with fewer hikers. Gatlinburg trail great smoky mountains national park. They are sugarlands, cades cove, clingmans dome, and oconaluftee. The cades cove visitor center is located about midway on the 11mile, oneway cades cove loop road. Plan your visit great smoky mountains national park u. Your guide to the great smoky mountains national park visitor. Cabins near sugarlands visitor center smoky mountains.
Apr 27, 2016 welcome to the great smoky mountains national park information page. The oconaluftee visitor center is great smoky mountains national parks first new visitor service facility to be constructed since the early 1960s. An extensive collection of trail guides atsugarlands visitor center sat this great smoky national park visitors center, you can find a map for almost every trail in the park. Stop by the oconaluftee visitor center for plenty of maps, guides, exhibits, helpful park rangers and programs. Park staff and volunteers will provide handson traditional crafts and activities from 10. Sugarlands visitor center near gatlinburg, tn january february 8 a. The mountain farm museum and oconaluftee visitor center are located at the entrance to the great smoky mountains national park on u. One of the best spots to begin your visit to the great smoky mountains national park is at a visitor center. Children and adults will have the opportunity to learn about and experience some of the traditions surrounding an appalachian christmas. Learn about the geology, trees, mammals, birds, or other plants and wildlife of the area. We love the national park service and came to the smoky mountains a few years back to explore our local national park. Great smoky mountains national park has over 4,000 species of plants that grow there.
You can support great smoky mountains national park by becoming a member of gsma, shopping in our stores, and participating in the many exciting programs we offer. Sugarlands visitors center great smoky mountains national. Points of interest great smoky mountains national park. The border between the two states runs northeast to southwest through the center of the park. Sugarlands visitors center great smoky mountains national park. Visit nc smokies visitor center the visit nc smokies visitor center in maggie valley offers regional brochures, maps, directions, a calendar of events and public restrooms. Townsend vacation guide smoky mountain tourism blount. The adjacent mountain farm museum contains a fascinating collection of log structures including a farmhouse, barn, smokehouse. The center is staffed daily except christmas by knowledgeable, helpful park rangers and volunteers. Cades cove, clingmans dome, oconaluftee, and sugarlands. While restrooms are open, there is no date set for the visitor center opening. Smoky mountain information visitor center hours, information. Smoky mountains visitor center at townsend tn vacation. One of the most popular areas in the park, the cades cove valley is known for its abundant.
When you enter the park for free, might we add, stop by one of the visitor centers there is a lot to see and do in great smoky mountains national park and you can make the most of your time by asking a ranger or volunteer about weather conditions, road closures, and any other factors that might affect your time in the park. Open year round, sugarlands offers public restrooms and telephones, a free 20minute video, exciting plant and animal exhibits, the natural history associations bookstore and gift shop, backcountry permit station, snack machines, seasonal rangerled programs, and a. Townsend vacation guide smoky mountain tourism blount tourism. The visitor center provides information on the park, including maps and. Great smoky mountains national park hosts the oconaluftee visitor center holiday homecoming on saturday, december 16, 2017. Top great smoky mountains national park visitor centers. The civilian conservation corps ccc built the original.
The featured photo above is cades cove visitor center. The park contains some of the highest mountains in eastern north america, including clingmans. Operated by the nonprofit great smoky mountains association, proceeds generated by purchases at the store are donated to educational, scientific, and historical projects in the park. The three visitor centers are open daily and the operating hours are as follows.
The oconaluftee visitor center is a great source of information about visiting great smoky mountains national park. Great smoky mountains national park sugarlands visitor. We provide visitor information to the area and have delightful people to answer all your questions when drop by. Dec 27, 2019 avian report get outside great smoky mountains national park visitor s guide, national parks, smoky mountains great smoky mountains national park simonflickrcc by 2. The sugarlands visitor center is one of four visitor centers in great smoky mountains national park, though it and the oconaluftee visitor center near cherokee, north carolina, are the two main ones.
Your guide to the great smoky mountains national park. Nice trail to jog or mountain bike along the river. Great smoky mountains national parks mountain farm museum at oconaluftee visitor center will see new growth this summer with the construction of a. Visitors flock to great smoky mountains national park. Oconaluftee is a river valley in the great smoky mountains of north carolina, located in the southeastern united states. Jan 31, 2019 the great smoky mountains national park visitor centers offer a variety of resources that help you to navigate through the park and have a truly memorable time. Sugarlands visitor center smoky mountain national park. Situated outside the historic mountain farm museum, the visitor center serves as the gateway to great smoky mountains national park with all its natural beauty, outdoor attractions, and amenities.
Best mountain biking trails in great smoky mountains. Great smoky mountains national park visitor center in. The national park has 5 visitor centers located either inside the park or at the entrance to the park. To get to the sugarlands visitor center, proceed through downtown gatlinburg on the main parkway. The park straddles the ridgeline of the great smoky mountains, part of the blue ridge mountains, which are a division of the larger appalachian mountain chain. Visitor center museum exhibits tell the story of life in these mountains from native americans and early european settlement time periods through the civilian conservation corp and the development of the national park. Find the information you need to plan your next adventure. Elk were reintroduced to the park in 2001 after being.
Across more than 800 square miles of western north carolina and eastern tennessee, great smoky mountains national park is home to amazing wildlife, breathtaking views, and some of the oldest mountains in the world. The centers offer a bookstore and gift shop, park maps, restroom facilities, and telephones. Additionally, these smoky mountain visitor centers offer restroom facilities for your convenience. Pi beta phi elementary school students emily blankenship, center, and marc muszik, right, ride the cades cove loop thursday, sept. In addition to the interior exhibits, there are three great hikes all.
Visitor centers in great smoky mountains national park my smoky. In a field behind the oconaluftee visitors center and along the oconaluftee river, the park service has recreated a late 19th century mountain farm with authentic log structures moved from their original locations. Smoky mountain national park shares a guide to the great smoky mountains national park visitor centers, including the facilities that are offered, and more. Here you can pick up a park map or newspaper, have your questions answered by a ranger, and purchase books and guides to the park. Here you will find all you need to know about the natural history of the park. There is plenty of free parking near the visitor center. The appalachian trail passes through the center of the park on its route from maine to georgia.
Sugarlands visitor center near gatlinburg smoky mountains. About smoky mountain visitor center the center is the hub of the cosby community and focal point of many exciting events. This trail will take you from the town of gatlinburg to the sugar. Great smoky mountains national park has a visitor center in the sugarlands area, located just outside gatlinburg, tennessee at the entrance to the park. The outdoor mountain farm museum and the restrooms are open but there is no date set for the visitor center opening. All visitor centers in great smoky mountains national park have an information desk where you can pick up a park brochure and ask questions, a book souvenir store, exhibits, and restrooms. This is actually the second oconaluftee visitor center. Visitor center visit nc smokies great smoky mountains. Dec 21, 2019 the sugarlands visitor center provides a fantastic introduction to the great smoky mountains national park with maps, natural history exhibits and a free 20minute film about the park.
Four visitor centers are located within the national park at cades cove, oconaluftee, sugarlands and clingmans dome. Gatlinburg trail is one of only four trails in the park where visitors may ride bikes. Oconaluftee visitor in great smoky mountains national park. Located on us 441 two miles north of cherokee at the park entrance, the oconaluftee visitor center is the park s main welcome and information center for the north carolina side. This coincides with the partial reopening of the great smoky mountains national park. An enjoyable escape from the hustle and bustle of downtown gatlinburg that extends to the sugarlands visitor center. Great smoky mountains national park is an american national park in the southeastern united states, with parts in tennessee and north carolina. After passing ski mountain road, you will enter the national park. Beautiful trail along the stream takes you to the visitor center.
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