The ancient blue-green mountains with breathtaking vistas and distinctive mists are home to salamanders and black bears, 19th century log cabins, rippling streams, waterfalls and more than 800 miles of trails, including a large section of the Georgia-to-Maine Appalachian Trail.

It's little wonder the Great Smoky Mountains attracts more than 9 million visitors a year, twice as many as any other national park in the United States.