The Most Popular National Park isn't What You Think 

I suppose that there is more history you can find in the smokies than the western parks… although, there is a lot of native American history to be found in the west, as well as the east.

@@axlent123 True!

@@axlent123 Oh boy, you’d be wrong. The mining towns, and abandoned towns, shit anything with westward expansion is here. These are a good examples that the west isn’t some new thing without history. There’s a reason why the Wild West exist in the US’s lore for a good reason. It’s an identity of how the world sees us.

yeaaahh you can say that especially about the dragon spirit part

why is the devils backbone st park named the devils backbone ?

I absolutely agree! Growing up in Southwest Virginia, it is something that is easy to take for granted, easy to pass off and not realize just how fortunate you are to live in such a beautiful environment. I've often dreamed of moving far away to some "magical place" when maybe the real magic is right here in front of me. All about perspective and being grateful for what you have.

Absolutely. I grew up on Roane county. Just west of Knoxville. The west is a totally different experience. Not a better experience. There is a majestic aspect of the Appalachian Moutons that I have not found anywhere else.

@@badatpseudoscience Awesome! I have actually never been out West, not yet anyways, so I have no say in that matter. But I can believe that it is indeed a different kind of beauty, not a better kind. I love East Tennessee, btw. It's like SWVA, without all the regulations on everything. Lived in the Tri Cities region all my life. Currently near Abingdon, VA.

There clearly not mountains

@blueMountainWay 00 much much better kind

That's actually what a lot of people tell me (and what I feel) Great Smokies and Blue Ridge mountains in general. May not be the best or the highest/tallest but it feels like home.

Same here. Something about it I love. I can't explain it.

My wife and I relocated to CO from northern VA. We used to go through the Shannondoah and the Blue Ridge and Catoctin Mountains and enjoyed them especially during the fall color change, but I told her that moving here to CO was like living in a national park. People just pull off the side of the road like it's nothing to fish, rock climb, kayak, camp, hike... it still amazes me. Even w/ all the ski lodges around here, to see someone trudging up a mountain w/ skis on their shoulders to do some back country skiing to me is still one of the coolest things. Back east they have signs all over telling people they can't do this or that but in CO the signs basically just remind people to don't be stupid. And the wild life. I've started doing some of the 14ers and to literally share the trails w/ mountain goats, or to see the elk wandering through Estes Park at the local Starbuck's, bank or grocery store parking lots still blows my mind. And the best thing is that people really do take care of the place and take "pack it in, pack it out" and "take only pictures, leave only footprints" seriously and know how to act around the wild life. Back east is something special to be sure especially during the color change and we do miss that, but here is something I've never experienced before.

Time will undo any advantage however. Less regulation goes hand in hand with smaller population. As urbanization continues to grow those wild areas will shrink the same as the east coast. They just have a century head start.

? There's plenty of wilderness to still be found on the east coast. Sure it's different than the west and much less talked about but it is here. Tennessee especially has alot more than just the Smokies, we have tons of state parks and other federal land that's not part of the parks service

@@AdamSmith-gs2dvBLM is way more in the west, for sure. But like many comments saying west is dramatic and amazing, east is peaceful and pleasant

@@TheBlackToedOnethank you for sharing. We now live in northern Virginia, but always want to go to Colorado and hike hike hike!

It is like that - I feel like I'm in the mountains of New Hampshire when I visit the Smokies.

I'll respect both sides. There is definitely a place for those who live away from the national parks. Helps keep the park feeling like nature should.

Hah, no way! I'm from the US and am now living in Chile. Chilean landscapes are unrivaled imo. I live in Valparaíso and the hot, rolling hills are amazing to me, especially right near the ocean. I wanna get up to San Pedro at some point too, but I'll have to see if I have time before I return to the US in a few months

Hello from Gatlinburg.. great video huh?? I make daily Vlogs ru-vid.com

If you've ever driven through Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, it's pretty easy to see why it's the most visited. The traffic is absolutely ridiculous.

More like clear-sky sunrise. I’ve been up there 7 times for sunrise and the last 4 times it’s been foggy with zero visibility.

I'd like to see the people who refer to the Smokies as rolling hills actually get out of their cars and backpack across the park. It is deceptively rugged due to the absence of a tree line.

@@stephenchalmers71it is very true, smokies are just as big as the rocky mountains in colorado.

I don’t find Shenandoah is super packed. Been there several time, spring, summer and fall time.

Ha I’m interested in learning the hidden gems. We are in NOVA though, 1.5-2h drive. Plan to do a hike sometime next week.

@@SSL0707Star me too, I may live in NOVA, but I feel more at home in the mountains! Hope you enjoy your hike!

Hello from Gatlinburg! Yes, great video

If you went a month earlier there is no one there. If you want to see the pretty fall foliage go up the Cumberland Plateau instead

From someone who's been to every majestic National Park, I agree. It's weird that I can't quantify it, though. It's a special place.

Hello from Gatlinburg!!

@@TheGatlinburgHussey I’ve been there and had a very nice dinner ;)

@@fabiomorich nice!! I used to work at Howard's restaurant on the parkway for 22 yrs.. I have a channel if you'd like to say hi.. The Gatlinburg Hussey...I'm at the Skybridge now

May I ask what are the best place to learn about the history? Planning a trip this August.

A good read is “Appalachia A History” by John Alexander Williams.

Hello from Gatlinburg! This was a good video..hope to make them like this one day ..I do Vlogs Daily ru-vid.com

It is!

We have a mountain range here in Utah that starts off as desert, transitions into deciduous Aspen forest (beautiful colors during fall), then transitions into boral forest, then transitions to alpine tundra. In one days worth of hiking you can start with cactus and end with alpine grass and lakes. And as an added plus, they aren't very crowded! Stansbury Mountains

The feeling there is personal, small natural spaces that are cozy and protected contrasted with vast.

You won't get the views that you do out west where the elevations are higher and the foliage considerably less dense, but there are definitely other things to appreciate about the Smokies. Geologically, it's the oldest mountain range in the world and it has an absolutely amazing biodiversity. It's kind of a shame that the AT goes through it, because its natural beauty is largely wasted on idiot thru-hikers who are more concerned with racking up miles and taking selfies in front of sweeping vistas than they are with appreciating things like unique species of salamanders and old growth cove forests.