National Parks Exploration Series: Great Smoky Mountains — Crown Jewel of the Appalachians

Great Smoky Mountain National Park rests in the geographic province known as the Blue Ridge Mountains, named for their distinctive blue appearance when seen from a distance. The park covers over 500,000 acres of breath-taking beauty, filled with lush highland meadows, glorious waterfalls, pristine mountain streams, the highest mountain tops in the Appalachians, and to crown it all, it encompasses one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world.