Trip Planning

The official Great Smoky Mountains National Park Web site (www.nps.gov/grsm) provides a wealth of information on the park. Before you go, download the Smokies Trip Planner at www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/trip-planner.htm.

Several commercial Web sites also are useful for trip-planning. Among the best are My Smoky Mountain Vacation (www.mysmokymountainvacation.com), Romantic Asheville (www.romanticasheville.com), and Bryson City and the Great Smokies (www.greatsmokies.com).

Once you arrive at the park, pick up the Smokies Guide, a free tabloid newspaper published once a season with an area map, schedule of free park programs, and information on destinations in the park, birding, wildlife, wildflowers, and hiking. The park visitor centers have shops with large collections of books on every aspect of the park.