Hiking and Backpacking the Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains 850 miles of maintained trails, and an additional 150 miles of trails, while not maintained, are still clear enough to navigate. There are over 120 designated backcountry tent sites and shelters were it is ok to spend the night. The 69 mile section of the Appalachian Trail that passes through this park is the highest section of trail east of the Rockies, with 36 consecutive miles that never drops below 5,000'. All this leads to many classic Smoky Mountain day hikes and backpacking trips.