Car Hire Great Smoky Mountains - Mini guide to Great Smoky Mountains

Formed hundreds of millions of years ago, the Great Smoky Mountains are estimated to be the oldest mountains in the world. The crest of the range forms the boundary between Tennessee and North Carolina. With peaks ranging from 840 to 6,642m, these mountain tops are nearly always shrouded in an eerie blue mist which gives them their name. This stunningly beautiful park offers a range of recreational opportunities including: biking, fishing, horseback riding, hiking and camping.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a holiday in itself, and not surprisingly this is the most popular tourist attraction in the area and the most visited national park in the US. With abundant wildflowers, wildlife and waterfalls, as well as more than 100 species of trees, it’s easy to see why the park has been designated as an International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations.

Nestled in a fertile valley and surrounded on all sides by mountains, Cades Cove is the most visited part of the park. Features such as its own visitors’ centre, an eight-kilometre hike to Abrams Falls, abundant wildlife, campgrounds, bike rentals, spectacular foliage in autumn and facilities for horseback riding, make Cades Cove a great place to sample all the park has to offer.

Asheville, not far from the park, is one the most beautifully located small cities in the USA. Situated on the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this city is a gateway to the Park and Pisgah National Forest, and is well worth a visit. If you want supplies and comfortable accommodation though, the nearest sizeable town to the park is Cherokee.

The park can be reached from Asheville via I-40 to US19; from here, take US 441 to the park's southern entrance near Cherokee, a distance of 80kms to the west. Though there is no train service directly to the park or to Asheville, Amtrak offers service through Raleigh. There is a small airport in Asheville; however, international passengers will most likely fly to Raleigh/Durham International Airport.