The settlers who came to the Mountains were primarily of English, Scotch-Irish, and German descent. They came to buy, settle, and farm the cheap, fertile bottomlands and hillsides in the region. Some migrated from the North Carolina Piedmont and the Coastal Plain.

The Appalachian Trail (AT) crosses 14 states on its journey up the East Coast, but it begins (or ends, depending on your direction) in Georgia. Springer Mountain has served as the starting point for countless adventures and as a celebratory finale for those completing the 2,200-mile hike from Mount Katahdin in Maine.

The ocean con tinued to shrink until, about 270 million years ago, the continents that were ances tral to North America and Africa collided. Huge masses of rocks were pushed west- ward along the margin of North America and piled up to form the mountains that we now know as the Appalachians.

Figure 1.16: When ancestral Africa collided with North America, the Appalachian Mountains were formed. Figure by J. Houghton. Today’s Appalachian Mountain chain formed 470 million years ago at the time of the Taconic mountain-building event, with the initial squeeze of the margin of North America.

Though the red wolf has been silenced in the Smokies, it can still be heard in the wilds of eastern North Carolina. This swampy stronghold is the only place in the world where endangered red wolves roam free. The red wolf was nearly driven to extinction in the 1950s through aggressive predator control programs.

Feral humans in the Smoky Mountains One of the most popular involved Wild Men – feral humans who live in the mountains and go about snatching livestock (and children) at night. These Wild Men are something akin to Little Big Feet, humans who have lived in the wild so long they are closer to beasts than men.

Out of 23 species of snakes you’ll find in the Smokies, only two are poisonous or venomous: The Northern Copperhead and Timber Rattlesnake. You can learn more about the snakes in the park here: Reptiles in the Great Smoky Mountains.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Based on data from the National Park Service, the outdoor travel guide ranked national parks based on the number of deaths that occured there from 2010 to 2020. The data listed 92 deaths that occured over the decade at GSMNP.

22 deaths

Although most park waters are clear and free-running you should never drink untreated water!

Essential Tips for Staying Safe in the Smokies

1. Keep your distance.
2. Always hike, picnic, and explore in groups.
3. Keep the noise down.
4. Follow the rules.
5. Leave baby bears alone.
6. Don’t feed the bears.
7. FAQs.
8. What kind of bears are in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

five

If a bear persistently follows or approaches you, without vocalizing, or paw swatting:

1. Change your direction.
2. If the bear continues to follow you, stand your ground.
3. If the bear gets closer, talk loudly or shout at it.
4. Act aggressively to intimidate the bear.
5. Act together as a group if you have companions.

Fatal black bear attacks on humans are so rare — more so than any other species of bear — that they occur on average of once per year across North America, Garshelis said. In addition, about one black bear out of 1 million will attack a human in a predatory manner, Rogers said.