The Smokies are so named because, as the sun warms the slopes each day, the dense vegetation that blankets the hillsides breathes off water vapor that rises in smoke-like plumes.  In fact, the native Cherokee called these mountains "Sha-co-na-ge" — the Place of Blue Smoke.

And yes, the name actually is "Great" Smoky Mountains, just as the Tetons are correctly called the Grand Tetons.  There is only one mountain east of the Mississippi River taller than Clingmans Dome, the highest peak in the Smokies.

Compared to other American mountain ranges such as the Rockies or the Cascades, the Smokies are not the tallest by any means.  So why "Great?"  The Smoky Mountains are among the oldest on earth and what you see today is the result of millenia of weathering and erosion.  You can literally feel this oldness when you visit these ancient mountains, and it is this awesome sense of antiquity that contributes to the greatness that inspired their name.  The nickname "Old Smokey" is not accidental.

So come on down to our neck of the woods and enjoy the Smokies or the Smokeys or the Great Smokies.  Stay in one of our Gatlinburg cabin rentals or Pigeon Forge cabin rentals — you'll find a traveler's paradise of vacation attractions, entertainment, recreation, dining, weddings, honeymoons and a thousand other adventures.