"Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina"
While the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks may be the nation's most famous parks, the most popular of the country's 59 headliner national parks is in the Southeast.
The half-million acre park, split fairly evenly between the states of North Carolina and Tennessee, is home to flora and fauna found in both the northern and southern states.
Northern animals and vegetation can be found at the park's higher elevations, while their Southern brethren are represented at the lower elevations.
Many hikers on the Appalachian Trail walk the border between the two states on the trail through the park.
Some prefer to catch the view from Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet or hike up one of the 16 mountains with peaks taller than 6,000 feet.
At more than half a million acres, there's plenty of room to spread out.
And if you're looking for something a little less discovered, there are still 412 other National Park Service sites to explore.
