located_in_the_administrative_territorial_entity chimney tops
The Great Smoky Mountains are a ___MASK93___ range rising along the ___MASK43___  North Carolina border in the southeastern United States . They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains , and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province . The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains and the name is commonly shortened to the Smokies . The Great Smokies are best known as the home of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park , which protects most of the range . The park was established in 1934 , and , with over 9 million visits per year , it is the most - visited national park in the United States . The Appalachian Mountains , often called the Appalachians , are a system ___MASK92___ mountains in eastern North America . The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period . It once reached elevations similar to those ___MASK92___ the Alps and the Rocky Mountains before naturally occurring erosion . The Appalachian chain is a barrier to east - west travel , as it forms a series ___MASK92___ alternating ridgelines and valleys oriented in opposition to most roads running east or west . Chimney Tops is a ___MASK93___ in the central Great Smoky Mountains , located in the Southeastern United States . It has an elevation ___MASK92___ 4 , 724 feet ( 1 , 440 m ) above sea level , . It is one ___MASK92___ the park ' s most recognizable geological structures and a popular hiking destination . Chimney Tops is a double - capstone knob on the eastern slope ___MASK92___ the Sugarland Mountain massif . This massif stretches north - to - south across the north - central section ___MASK92___ the Smokies . Mount Le Conte dominates the area immediately east ___MASK92___ Chimney Tops , and Mt . Mingus rises to the north . Thus , while the view from the summit is 360 degrees , Chimney Tops is practically `` walled in '' on three sides . Great Smoky Mountains ___MASK14___ is a United States ___MASK14___ and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline ___MASK92___ the Great Smoky Mountains , part ___MASK92___ the Blue Ridge Mountains , which are a division ___MASK92___ the larger Appalachian Mountain chain . The border between ___MASK43___ and North Carolina runs northeast to southwest through the centerline ___MASK92___ the park . It is the most visited national park in the United States . On its route from Maine to Georgia , the Appalachian Trail also passes through the center ___MASK92___ the park . The park was chartered by the United States Congress in 1934 and officially dedicated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1940 . It encompasses , making it one ___MASK92___ the largest protected areas in the eastern United States . The main park entrances are located along U . S . Highway 441 ( Newfound Gap Road ) at the towns ___MASK92___ Gatlinburg , ___MASK43___ , and Cherokee , North Carolina . It was the first national park whose land and other costs were paid for in part with federal funds ; previous parks were funded wholly with state money or private funds . Due to the 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires , the Park was under evacuation orders , along with some towns and cities located nearby . ___MASK100___ is a state in the southeastern region ___MASK92___ the United States . The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south , ___MASK43___ to the west , Virginia to the north , and the Atlantic Ocean to the east . ___MASK100___ is the 28th most extensive and the 9th most populous ___MASK92___ the U . S . states . The state is divided into 100 counties . The capital is Raleigh . The most populous municipality is Charlotte , and it is the second largest banking center in the United States after New York City . ___MASK43___ (" Tanasi ") is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States . ___MASK43___ is the 36th largest and the 16th most populous of the 50 United States . ___MASK43___ is bordered by Kentucky and Virginia to the north , North Carolina to the east , Georgia , Alabama , and Mississippi to the south , and Arkansas and Missouri to the west . The Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state , and the Mississippi River forms the state ' s western border . ___MASK43___ ' s capital and second largest city is Nashville , which has a population of 654 , 610 . Memphis is the state ' s largest city , with a population of 655 , 770 . A ___MASK93___ range ( also ___MASK93___ barrier , belt , or system ) is a geographic area containing numerous geologically related mountains . A ___MASK93___ system or system ___MASK92___ ___MASK93___ ranges , sometimes is used to combine several geological features that are geographically ( regionally ) related . On Earth , most significant ___MASK93___ ranges are the result ___MASK92___ plate tectonics , though ___MASK93___ ranges are formed by a range ___MASK92___ processes , are found on many planetary mass objects in the Solar System and are likely a feature ___MASK92___ most terrestrial planets . Appalachia is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier ___MASK92___ New York to ___MASK60___ Alabama , Mississippi and Georgia . While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle ( ___MASK13___ and Labrador ) in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in Alabama , the cultural region ___MASK92___ Appalachia typically refers only to the central and southern portions ___MASK92___ the range . As ___MASK92___ the 2010 United States Census , the region was home to approximately 25 million people .