She would often focus on Johns daughter Betsy Bell, pulling the sheets off her bed, or even physically harming her with kicks, punches, and scratches. Encompassing over 800 square miles in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, no other area of equal size in a temperate climate can match Great Smoky Mountains National Park in number and variety of animals, plants, fungi, and other organisms. Today, tourists come from all over the country to visit the home of the Flatwoods Monster. Regardless of what happened to Perry Shults, no one has managed to find his buried treasure or discover the location of his secret gold mineyet. Legend says that the local Native American tribes waited for the full moon to drive the Moon-Eyed People from their underground caves. In the dark skies above Brown Mountain, North Carolina, eerie ghost lights have been spotted in the night sky for over a century. Second, she gave Basil permission to remarry after her passing, but she implored him to never, ever put any of her quilts on a metal bed. Trek the Great Smoky Mountains Gatlinburg locals refer to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as "800 miles of perfect." They might just be rightexperiencing the Smoky Mountains' mist while surrounded by the vast, inspiring landscape is idyllic, to say the least. Plants and animals common in the southern US thrive in the lowlands. In addition, there are over 100 backcountry campsites and shelters, the park offers exceptional possibilities for multi-day treks. These tours are not a haunted house style attraction with actors dressed as ghosts, but a fun history lesson where you learn about the settlers, pioneers and others who came to the Smokies to find heartbreak, misery or even death! [65] The Cherokee called Gregory Bald Tsitsuyi , or "rabbit place," and believed the mountain to be the domain of the Great Rabbit. [55], Air pollution is contributing to increased Red Spruce tree mortality at higher elevations and oak decline at lower elevations, while invasive hemlock woolly adelgids attack Hemlocks and balsam woolly adelgids attack Fraser firs. It eventually developed a whispering voice and within a year it could speak. I had to, he says, and there beside the grapevines was a seven-foot creature. Demand for parking often exceeds capacity. [38], The Smokies are home to over two dozen species of rodents, including the endangered northern flying squirrel, and 10 species of bats, including the endangered Indiana bat. [30], The spruce-fir forestalso called the "boreal" or "Canadian" forestis a relict of the ice ages, when mean annual temperatures in the Smokies were too cold to support a hardwood forest. Notable splash dam and boom operations included the English Lumber Company on Little River, the Taylor and Crate operations along Hazel Creek, and the ambitious operations of Alexander Arthur on the Pigeon River. The event made local and national news, and even prompted an official U.S. Air Force inquiry! Dive deeper at your own risk. The raging waters washed out roads and bridges and took out power for several weeksbut the Brown Mountain Lights were still spotted in the night sky. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. Add to that the many free ranger-led programs run by the park night hikes, storytelling by the campfire, morning porch talks (free coffee provided), Appalachian culture fairs and you have the makings of one of Americas most remarkable budget-friendly getaways. The northern hardwood understory is home to diverse species such as coneflower, skunk goldenrod, Rugels ragwort, bloodroot, hydrangea, and several species of grasses and ferns. Backcountry camping is free, although you do need a reservation and a permit. Iva Butler, "Archaeologists Pack Up Townsend Dig." [3] The Albright Grove along the Maddron Bald Trail (between Gatlinburg and Cosby) is an accessible old-growth forest with some of the oldest and tallest trees in the entire range.[25]. Explore. All rights reserved. Early settlers lived in 16 feet (4.9m) x 20 feet (6.1m) log cabins, although these were replaced by more elaborate log houses and eventually, as lumber became available, by modern frame houses. While playing football at the playground of the Flatwoods school, theyd witnessed a bright UFO streak across the sky and land on the property of a local farmer. Some believe they were descendants of a small group of Welshmen who came to America long before the Spanish and settled in the Smoky Mountains around 1170. One notable Civil War incident in the Smokies was the murder of long-time Cades Cove resident Russell Gregory (for whom Gregory Bald is named), which was carried out by bushwhackers in 1864 shortly after Gregory had led an ambush that routed a band of Confederates seeking to wreak havoc in the cove. Clingmans Dome (1 mile round-trip) is the highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, at 6,643 feet, with truly unbeatable views. You stand frozen in place, eyes locked to that shadowy spot in the woods, waiting for the animal to move. The tundra vegetation disappeared, and the spruce-fir forests retreated to the highest elevations. If you give them to newlyweds, it will cut their love! For generations, myths and superstitions have been passed down through the oral traditions of native tribes and early settlers, gaining a foothold in our Appalachian culture. The answer lies in the meaning of the word booger. They lived peacefully on their land until 1817, when the family began experiencing odd and unexplainable occurrences in their home. The park is also the center of diversity for salamanders and is home to more than 200 species of birds, 68 species of mammals, 67 native fish species, 39 species of reptiles, and 43 species of amphibians. Gatlinburg Smoky Mountain Ghost UFO Bigfoot Tour Expeditions Today. Theres much more to experience in the Palmetto State than beautiful shorelines and dreamy marshes. As the Park continues to gather data, the model will become more accurate and we will be able to add more species. Caves, a hidden lodge and panoramic fog-filled vistas await along the best hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Whether youre coming for the hikes, the history, the autumn leaf peeping, the sound of silence, or the winding mountain roads, theres a little something for everyone in the Smokies. [46], The Great Smokies are home to one of the world's most diverse salamander populations. The closely related mountain laurel blooms in between the two, and all of the blooms progress from lower to higher elevations. [26] The American chestnut (Castanea dentata), which was arguably the most beloved tree of the range's pre-park inhabitants, was killed off by the introduced Chestnut blight in the 1920s. The orange- to sometimes red-flowered and deciduous flame azalea closely follows along with the Catawbas. But the harassment wouldnt stop, and John Bell finally confided to one of his neighbors about the strange incidents in his home. The park includes the largest remnant of the diverse Arcto-Tertiary geoflora era left in the world, and provides an indication of the appearance of late Pleistocene flora. The first reported sighting of the Brown Mountain Lights was in 1913 by a fisherman who claimed to see odd red lights dancing above the horizon. Great Smoky Mountains National Park [4] The Great Smokies are also home to the densest black bear population in the Eastern United States and the most diverse salamander population outside of the tropics.[5]. He was out of breath and anxious, remembers Smith. Substantial Mississippian-period villages were uncovered at Citico and Toqua (named after the Cherokee villages that later thrived at these sites) along the Little Tennessee River in the 1960s. Some said she returned and some said she didnt, says Fitzhugh. Learn more about the park's fee program changes for 2023, including a new initiative: the Smokies Parking Tag program. In fact, the Smokies are among the oldest mountain ranges in the world! World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America's most visited national park. Your heart pounds in your chest and you realize, jarringly, that the sounds of the forest have died. Read on to learn more about some of the most famous Appalachian folklore stories and superstitions. And in August 2016, local TV station WLOS reported that scientists from Appalachian State University believed to have captured images of the Brown Mountain Lights on two digital video cameras. [18], The Precambrian gneiss and schiststhe oldest rocks in the Smokiesformed over a billion years ago from the accumulation of marine sediments and igneous rock in a primordial ocean. The other venomous snake, the copperhead, is typically found at lower elevations. Biologists estimate that 1,500 American Black Bears live in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The land for Great Smoky Mountains National Park was acquired in large part through small-scale grassroots fundraising rather than donations from wealthy stakeholders, despite much of the area already being broken up into small family farms and parcels earmarked by loggers. Below is our list of the top offbeat attractions in the Great Smoky Mountains: 1. From black bears to salamanders, old-growth forests to spring wildflowers, log cabins to gristmills. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Fort Mountain, a Georgia State Park near Ellijay GA, contains the ruins of an 850-foot-long stone wall that is said to have been constructed by the mysterious tribe. Known around the world as Sasquatch or Yeti and locally as Wood Booger or Boojum, Bigfoot is an ape-like creature that conceals itself in the deep, dark forest, leaving behind footprints so large they could not belong to any man. We took a look at six of the most popular legends in our region. He said, something is following me. For further assistance in planning your next journey into the beyond, please call (423) 743-WALK (9255) year-round, 11 AM to 11 PM, daily. John Bell grew so concerned by these violent escalations that he shared his story with a family friend, James Johnston. If you prefer not to sleep in a tent, the only option inside park boundaries is the LeConte Lodge, a delightfully old-fashioned collection of wooden cottages near the top of Mount LeConte (elevation 6594ft). The Great Smokies are best known as the home of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which protects most of the range. [40], The Smokies are home to a diverse bird population due to the presence of multiple forest types. Reportedly, some claimed to have seen the Mothman at the bridge shortly before its collapse and believed its presence was a harbinger of doom. 6 Mythical Beasts and the National Parks They Call Home You can also celebrate the Appalachian myth at the annualMothman Festival, which typically happens on the third weekend in September. Plan Your Visit. Elevations in the park range from approximately 850 to 6,643 feet. The fact that the UFO sightings, men in black presence, and the Silver Bridge disaster all happened during the Mothman sightings intrigues many people, says Wamsley. Wilma Dykeman, The French Broad (New York: Rinehart, 1955), 167-174. Dont walk under a ladder. The newspaper named the mysterious creature the Wampus Cat, and the name stuck. These colorful stories may not stick strictly to the facts, but they are always entertaining! Here's our pick of the best. When you're exploring the wilderness, it's better to be safe than to be a statistic! When her health declined, Mavis made Basil promise her two things. Three days later, two young couples were driving together near an abandoned World War II TNT plant about five miles north of Point Pleasant when they saw a large flying man with 10-foot wings, and eyes that glowed red. They tried to flee the unidentified animal, speeding down the road at a reported 100 miles per hour, but the creature followed them back to Point Pleasant city limits. Thus, red spruce is now the dominant species in the range's spruce-fir forest. The allure of the Great Smoky Mountains is certainly no secret, and the park gets quite crowded during the busy summer months (JunAug) and in the autumn when the leaves change color (SepOct).