Great Smoky Mountains National Park

For travelers appreciating the outdoors, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides challenging hikes, and incredible scenery. There is an abundance of activities that are available to visitors that can keep even the most difficult children and teenagers interested and excited. The Great Smoky Mountains are a spectacular mountain range running along the eastern border of Tennessee, and are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains.

With an abundance of things to do in this National Park, the most difficult challenge is deciding what's next. Some activities include:

1. Camping – there are many campsites around the park providing a great base for a backpacking adventure, day hike on any of the 800 miles of trails, or a place to just view the panoramic vistas available from every direction.

2. Horseback riding – with hundreds of miles of trails in which to ride, visitors can bring their own horse or rent one at the stable, complete with guided tours, if desired.

3. Fishing – this area boasts over 700 miles of rivers and streams that are famous for anglers after brook, brown, or rainbow trout.

4. Bicycling – Cades Cove offers miles of trails for bicyclers wanting an alternative method of transportation through the park.

5. Historic Buildings – the park has approximately 80 historic buildings that include log cabins, barns, churches, schools, and much more that has been preserved.

With so much to do, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an amazing place to spend a family vacation, or to just visit on a long weekend.