HIKING IN THE SMOKIES

With over 800 miles of hiking and nature trails, the Great
Smoky Mountain National Park offers a wealth of hiking
opportunities for the young, the old, novices, kids, families,
and the experienced long-range hiker who’s ready for a
12-mile trek. Visitors to the park have remarked that the
onlyway to experience the pristine wilderness of the
Smokies is to hike its many trails, where they can smell
the evergreens, and hear the warbling of birds and the rush
of waterfalls. Some of the more than 15 established trails,
including portions of the now-famous Appalachian Trail, have
waterfalls as high as 75 feet. For more information, go to
www.gosmokies.com and click on“Hiking,” or call the park
headquarters at 865-436-1200.

CAMPING IN THE SMOKIES

One of the more popular activities for the devoted escapist is
camping, setting up your own world away from it all in the
high country. In the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, sprawling 500 miles across portions of
Tennessee and North Carolina, camping is a passion.
The park has ten“front-country” sites, in developed areas,
plus “back-country” sites for backpackers. Each of the
front-country sites includes restrooms with cold running
water and flush toilets. Each site also has a picnic table and
fire grate. For detailed information, including phone numbers,
go to www.nps.gov, select Great Smoky Mountains National Park,
and follow the links to “Camping.” To download images of the ten
sites, follow the links to “Maps.”