Great Smoky Mountains: America's Most Visited Park Is Still Its Most Misunderstood

No entrance fee. No park land the government already owned — nearly every acre had to be bought back from private hands. A mountain that just got its real name back after a century. And more salamanders, by weight, than every other backboned animal in the park combined. This is Great Smoky Mountains National Park: the most-visited national park in America, and one of the least understood. How it was saved, what makes the haze blue, the icons worth planning a trip around, and the wildlife comeback stories hiding in plain sight. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:04 Cold Open 00:25 Orientation 01:17 Origin Story 03:15 What Makes This Place Unique 05:17 The Icons 06:47 Wildlife Spotlight 08:52 Planning Your Visit 09:20 Hidden Gem 09:39 Conservation Note 10:34 Close Watch live Purchase Knob: https://www.nps.gov/media/webcam/view... Look Rock: https://www.nps.gov/media/webcam/view... Newfound Gap: https://www.nps.gov/media/webcam/view... Plan your visit Official park page: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm Campground reservations: https://www.recreation.gov/search?q=G... Current forecast: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick... Current road/trail conditions: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisi... Footage: NPS Multimedia Gallery (developer.nps.gov), public domain. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.