X-tra information

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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park with approximately 9 million visitors per year.  The Grand Canyon is the 2nd most visited, with approximately 4.4 million visitors.

(The following facts are from http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/great-smoky-mountains-national-park/)

There are 384 miles of road in the Park.

800 miles of hiking trails can be found in the Park.

1600 different species of flowering plants make their home here.

GSMNP is an International Biosphere Reserve, and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In addition, there is no admission charge to the Park.  There is also no cell service available.  A few years ago, there was a survey conducted regarding cell service.  The people emphatically said that the Park should remain as is...no cell service!

There is a memorial on the Newfound Gap Road called "Rockefeller Memorial".  It was on this spot that Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1940.

The "Road to Nowhere" is an unfinished road that begins in Swain Co., NC.  The road was to be built to connect  Bryson City with Fontana.  The making of Fontana Lake put the main highway under water.  The government promised to build another highway, but the building of the road stopped 6 miles into the Park, stopping at a tunnel.  There was an "environmental issue", which eventually was resolved, but the road was never finished.  To this day, the Park Service ferry family members across the lake in the summer so they can visit family cemeteries.  In 2010, it was determined that the road will not be built, and the citizens of Swain Co. were granted $52 million.



3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the "X"tra information. I never head about that road to nowhere. Interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. As a visitor to the Grand Canyon multiple times, I am surprised at the stats. Now I really want to go to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

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  3. That is nice to hear that there is no entrance fee into the park; I know the Grand Canyon charges, so its nice to see there is still a free park out there so to speak! Good for you; you are almost there with the challenge being completed!

    betty

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