Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Blue Ridge Parkway:
The Blue Ridge Parkway extends 469 miles along the crests of the Southern Appalachians and links the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the Shenandoah National Park, crossing the North Carolina and Virginia state line at mile 216.9.

Cherokee National Forest:
The Cherokee National Forest consists of 630,000 acres with numerous recreational opportunities. Visitors can enjoy camping, swimming, picnicking, hiking, biking, fishing, and scenic drives. The Forest hosted the 1996 Olympic Canoe and Kayak events.

Entrance Rapid on the Ocoee River:
Playboating on the river that has it all, and then some.

Nantahala National Forest:
The Nantahala National Forest lies in the mountains and valleys of western North Carolina between Waynesville and Murphy. It offers a wide variety of recreational activities such as biking, camping, fishing, hiking, river activities, and driving the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway.

The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness and Citico Creek Wilderness:
These wilderness areas are in the Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests. The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness's 17,013 acres are extremely steep and rugged. A dense hardwood forest, some of which is virgin, blankets these slopes. Black bear and wild boar are common to these woods.

Pisgah National Forest:
There are hundreds of miles of trails in Pisgah National Forest, offering a variety of experiences. These include trails for horseback riding. This national forest also offers fishing, camping, swimming, and other outdoor fun.

Hiawassee River:
Now with better management, this river is on its way to offering some of the best trout fishing in the United States. Near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Bartram National Recreation Trail:
Follow a path that rivals the southern Appalachian Trail and passes fine trout fishing along the Chattooga River. The trail passes through the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia and the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina.

Visitors to the Smoky Mountains National Park are just a few hours' drive from many other wonderful outdoor destinations, such as wilderness areas in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia, where scenic drives also abound.