Waterfalls and old growth hardwoods

For the east, the Smokies are fairly substantial. The highest mountains are up to 6600 feet, and on the Blue Ridge Parkway the road itself reaches an elevation of 6053 feet, high enough so that you feel the altitude when hiking. The NP hosts one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, courtesy of the Ice Age. At that time, many plant species moved south ahead of the advancing glaciers into the Smokies, which were not glaciated. When the climate warmed, the cold weather plants moved uphill, and still survive in the Smokies, while warmer weather vegetation thrives at lower elevations. You get oak trees in the valleys, and balsam firs on the Appalachian crest.

The Smokies were logged in the early part of the twentieth century, but by the time the park was established in 1934 there was still a lot of old growth left, and if you hike a few miles into the backcountry you find very large old trees such as the ones in the picture. By the way, the waterfall is Laurel Falls, a popular destination for day hikers.