Park Description
Oconaluftee Visitor Center, North Carolina Entrance.
What Makes the Smokies So Special? Great Smoky Mountains National Park is indeed a special place. Among some of the features making it special are:
Diversity. More than 4,000 species of plants grow here. A walk from mountain base to peak compares with traveling 1,250 miles north. Several resident plants and animals live only in the Smokies.
A rich cultural history. From the Cherokee Indians, to the Scotch-Irish settlers, this land was home to a variety of cultures and people. Many historic structures remain standing. Subsistence turned to exploitation as logging concerns stripped the region of timber. Recovery is now the dominant theme.
Oconaluftee Visitor Center is open year round. It is located inside the Park, two miles north of Cherokee, NC on US 441. Guided programs are conducted seasonally. Please check at the visitor center and/or the website for times and locations of these programs. The visitor center features the adjacent Mountain Farm Museum that contains a fascinating collection of log structures, including a farmhouse, barn, smokehouse, applehouse, corn cribs, and others. Demonstrations of farm life are conducted seasonally. Available facilities include the Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association bookstore and shop as well as public restrooms.
Hours of Operation: Visitor Center Open All Year March 8:00am - 4:30pm April 8:00am - 5:00pm May 9:00am - 6:00pm
Fees:
No entry fees for this park
Metro Region: Asheville, NC
Park Management: Federal
Printed Materials
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Map
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