Cherokee National Forest
Cherokee National Forest | |
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Location | Polk, Monroe, Carter, Unicoi, Cocke, Johnson, Greene, Sullivan, Washington and McMinn counties in Tennessee, and Ashe County, North Carolina, United States |
Nearest city | Elizabethton, Johnson City, Newport |
Coordinates | 36°29′N 82°05′W / 36.483°N 82.083°W |
Area | 655,598 acres (2,653.11 km2)[1] |
Established | June 14, 1920[2] |
Visitors | 2,875,000[3] (in 2017) |
Governing body | United States Forest Service (USFS) |
Website | Cherokee National Forest |
The Cherokee National Forest is a United States National Forest located in the U.S. states of Tennessee and North Carolina that was created on June 14, 1920. The forest is maintained and managed by the United States Forest Service. It encompasses an estimated area of 655,598 acres (2,653.11 km2).
Location
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The Cherokee National Forest headquarters are located in Cleveland, Tennessee. The Cherokee National Forest mostly lies within eastern Tennessee, along the border with North Carolina, and comprises nearly the entire border area except for sections within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Copper Basin. The Cherokee National Forest has two separate sections: a northern region to the northeast of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a southern section to the southwest of the Smokies.[4] the southern section comprises much of the Unicoi Mountains.
The Cherokee National Forest contains such notable sites as the Ocoee River (site of the 1996 Olympic whitewater events); 150 miles (240 km) of the Appalachian Trail; Citico Creek Wilderness; Big Frog Mountain within Big Frog Wilderness, and surrounds both the Tennessee Valley Authority Watauga Reservoir and Wilbur Reservoir.
The forest is located in parts of ten counties in Tennessee and one county in North Carolina. In descending order of forestland area they are Polk, Monroe, Carter, Unicoi, Cocke, Johnson, Greene, Sullivan, Washington and McMinn counties in Tennessee and Ashe County in North Carolina.[5]
Wildlife
The forest is home to mammalian species such as black bear, raccoon, coyote, skunk, opossum, beaver, two species of squirrel, bobcat, chipmunk, river otter, two species of fox, woodchuck, and white-tailed deer.
Birdwatchers commonly view species of
Reptiles include
Recreation
Recreation opportunities in the Cherokee National Forest are diverse. The forest's fast-flowing rivers support trout fishing.
Trails criss-cross the forest. In addition to the Appalachian Trail, these include the
Wilderness areas
There are eleven official
- Bald River Gorge Wilderness
- Chattahoochee NFin Georgia)
- Big Laurel Branch Wilderness
- Citico Creek Wilderness
- Cohutta Wilderness (Chattahoochee NF in Georgia and Cherokee NF in Tennessee)
- Gee Creek Wilderness
- Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness (Nantahala NF in North Carolina and Cherokee NF in Tennessee)
- Little Frog Mountain Wilderness
- Pond Mountain Wilderness
- Sampson Mountain Wilderness
- Unaka Mountain Wilderness
See also
References
- U.S. Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
- ^ "The National Forests of the United States" (PDF). ForestHistory.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 28, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ "Visitor Use Report: Cherokee National Forest" (PDF). United States Forest Service. August 20, 2019. p. 9. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^ "Table 6 - NFS Acreage by State, Congressional District and County". Fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
- ^ "Table 6 - NFS Acreage by State, Congressional District and County". United States Forest Service. September 30, 2007.
External links
- Media related to Cherokee National Forest at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website