Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States. This map, Proposed Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina-Tennessee, shows one set of proposed boundaries for the park. The boundaries proposed in 1926 are significantly more extensive than what was chosen when the park was established nearly a decade later in 1934. The park spans an impressive forested and mountainous stretch of the southern Appalachians. There are also areas of great historical significance, showing the history and process of southern Appalachian settlement.
The Great Smoky Mountains, so named for the smoke-like vapor given off by the trees of the park, are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which themselves are a subrange of the Appalachians. Their position lends itself well to being a biodiversity hotspot, containing a wide variety of flora and fauna. There are over 100 species of trees in the park, an impressive amount for such a small park and a great display of biodiversity. This biodiversity is threatened, however, and many of the plant species are rare and endangered. This includes the American Chestnut, formerly the most common tree in the park; it is nearly extinct in this portion of its range.
“Bald” is the local name for a treeless mountain peak, due to a high density of shrubs or grasses. These shrubs and grasses are just one of thousands of species of plant found in the forest and mountains of the park with the park containing over 1600 species of flowering plants. This great biodiversity is one of the many reasons the park is the most visited national park in the US.
Cades Cove, here labeled Cade Cove, is one of many “coves” or flat valleys between the mountains. Due to the fertile land found in these valleys, Euro-Americans were drawn to settle there in the 19th century. A few of the buildings built by these early settlers remain in the valley. Some notable examples are the Primitive Baptist Church, built in 1887 and accompanied by the oldest cemetery in the valley; the John Oliver Place, a cabin built by the first European family in the valley in the 1820’s; and the Henry Whitehead cabin, the last remaining sawn log cabin in the valley. Most of these inhabitants of the valley moved out when the area became a national park in 1934. Today, the area is uninhabited. Overall, the cove is a splendid area to view both the natural and manmade environment and history.
The borders of the proposed park differ from what the park boundaries came to be. Notably, the modern boundaries of the park are generally reduced, though it exceeds the proposed boundaries in some places. To the northwest, the proposed boundary included Chilhowee Mountain. This was perhaps excluded as the town of Townsend would’ve had to be cleared. In the southeast, the proposed portion was likely excluded due to its overlap with the lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
We hope you enjoyed our January 2026 Map of the Month!
- Title: Proposed Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina-Tennessee
- Date: 1926
- Author: U.S. Geological Survey
- Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey
As with all of our Map of the Month features, if you’d like to learn more about this map or schedule a visit to explore our maps in person, please submit a Map/Geo Service Request. We’ll be sure to get back to you within two business days, but typically sooner.
-Grace Behan, Map and GIS Assistant
Citation List:
Gatlinburg, Mailing Address: 107 Park Headquarters Road, and TN 37738 Phone: 865 436-1200 Contact Us. “Maps - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service).” www.nps.gov, www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/maps.htm.
“John Oliver Place (U.S. National Park Service).” Nps.gov, 2025, www.nps.gov/places/john-oliver-place.htm. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
Johnson, Becky. “Creation of the Park Was Marked by Triumph and Tragedy.” Smokymountainnews.com, 3 June 2009, smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/2292-creation-of-the-park-was-marked-by-triumph-and-tragedy.
“Plants - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service).” Nps.gov, 2016, www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/plants.htm.
“Primitive Baptist Church (U.S. National Park Service).” Www.nps.gov, 11 Jan. 2025, www.nps.gov/places/primitive-baptist-church.htm.
“Watch: Fireflies Glowing in Sync to Attract Mates.” Travel, 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/great-smoky-mountains-…. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
“Whitehead Place (U.S. National Park Service).” Nps.gov, 2025, www.nps.gov/places/whitehead-place.htm. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.