Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is situated in the Appalachian Mountains, encompassing over 500,000 acres of land. It is one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States.
The park is known for its stunning natural beauty, including lush forests, cascading waterfalls, mountain peaks, and diverse wildlife. It is also famous for the "smoky" mist or fog that often hangs over the mountains, giving the park its name. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a biodiversity hotspot, home to an incredible variety of plants and animals. The park offers an extensive network of hiking trails, ranging from easy strolls to challenging backcountry treks. The Appalachian Trail passes through the park as well.
The Road to Nowhere, extends for about 6 miles, leading visitors to the Tunnel to Nowhere which is located in the southern Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's known as the Road to Nowhere, and guides you to the Tunnel to Nowhere, refers to a tunnel that was never completed. The construction of Fontana Dam led to the flooding of several towns and the displacement of their residents. The road project was initiated to provide access to cemeteries and other ancestral lands of the displaced residents. The federal government, as part of a settlement, agreed to construct the road to allow access to these areas. A tunnel was carved through a mountain to connect the road to an area known as Forney Creek. However, funding for the road project dried up before the tunnel was completed. As a result, the road ends abruptly at the tunnel's entrance.