In this fresh look at America’s most visited national park, explore the Smokies’ hills and hollows alongside wildlife biologists, trolley drivers, potters, park rangers, Cherokee language advocates, naturalists and more.

"When I went south into the mountains I was seeking a Back of Beyond."

HORACE KEPHART

LOCAL STORIES, NATURAL WONDERS AND HISTORIC GEMS, INCLUDING:

• Our essential list of Smokies books, music and artists


• Southern Appalachian dishes of note

• Highlights from the park’s diverse flora and fauna

• Local Cherokee stories past and present

• New essays by Tessa Fontaine, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle and Leah Hampton

• Itineraries, trail recs and side trips

• Viewing tips for wildlife from fireflies and butterflies to elk and bears

• Interviews with park rangers, trolley drivers and thru-hikers

• Fifteen base camps around the region, from rustic to high luxury


• Intel from a fly fisherman and a rafting outfitter

CHEROKEE LANGUAGE ADVOCATE

myrtle driver johnson

Johnson, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, grew up in the Big Cove Community on the Qualla Boundary. She has been given the title of "Beloved Woman" by the tribe for her efforts to preserve the Cherokee language through translation work, advocacy and education.

WRITER

RON RASH

Ron Rash is a fiction writer and poet whose work reflects his Southern Appalachian roots. He is the author of Serena, a 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award finalist, and several other award-winning books. He teaches writing at Western Carolina Universitygazine and The Advent, and he does commissioned portraiture.

ILLUSTRATOR

rachel briggs

Rachel Briggs is a Nashville and Memphis-based graphic designer and illustrator.

STORIES - NATIONAL PARKS

RELATED PRODUCTS