Travel South Magazine Travel South low (kasey daleo's conflicted copy 20 | Page 81

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Saddle up and get ready for a ride, first
through mountains and finally into the big
central cities, as we go exploring in the Tar
Heel State!
For some of the best views in the state,
make your way to the Great Smoky Moun-
tains National Park. The Great Smoky
Mountains National Park is the most-vis-
ited one in the United States, with roughly
10 million visitors each year. The park is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site that sits on
the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Moun-
tains, which is a part of Blue Ridge, and
both extend as a division of the greater
Appalachian Mountains. In the center of
the park, you’ll find the border that sepa-
rates North Carolina and Tennessee. The
park’s area is over 500,000 acres, and is
home to a wide variety of wildlife.
The vast differences in elevation through-
out the mountain ranges make for great
diversity among the park’s inhabitants. Be-
cause the park has both a subtropical low-
land climate, and old growth forests with
steep slopes and cooler temperatures,
animal sightings can range from a black
bear to a bat, depending on where you’re
at in the park.
Other species include bobcats, raccoons,
foxes, otters, skunks, white-tailed deer,
coyotes, woodchucks, and many more.
Park officials estimate that there may be
more than 50,000 undocumented
species within the park’s boundaries.
There are plenty of woods to explore
within the park, as it is home to more than
100 different types of trees and well over
5,000 plant species.
Towns that surround the park house mu-
seums, landmarks, handcrafted souvenirs,
events, lodging, park tours, and a variety
of other adventures, so be sure to check
out the many attractions in the area.
Cherokee, North Carolina and Gatlinburg,
Tennessee are the two closest cities on
the border, and they welcome visitors
year-round.
Travel South | Spring 2018 | 79