• Approximately 1,500 black bears live in the national park.

    Great Smoky Mountains

    National Park NC,TN

Webcams

The view from the Purchase Knob webcam.

Purchase Knob webcam
Located at high elevation on the eastern end on the park, the Purchase Knob webcam offers views to the northeast. Click on image to see the current view from the webcam.

Please note that the photo at left is an archived image. Click for a current view from the webcam.

 
The view into the park from the Look Rock webcam.

Look Rock webcam
Located on the western edge of the park at mid elevation, this webcam offers views of Mount Le Conte, Clingmans Dome and Cades Cove. Click on the image to see the current view from the webcam.

Please note that the photo at left is an archived image. Click for a current view from the webcam.

 

Shrinking Views
Views from scenic overlooks at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have been seriously degraded over the last 50 years by human-made pollution. Since 1948, average visibility in the southern Appalachians has decreased 40% in winter and 80% in summer. These degradations in visibility not only affect how far one can see from a scenic overlook, they also reduce how well one can see. Pollution causes colors to appear washed out and obscures landscape features. Pollution typically appears as a uniform whitish haze, different from the natural mist-like clouds for which the Smokies were named. Learn more about air quality monitoring in the park.

Did You Know?

An experimental program to reintroduce elk to the park was begun in 2001.

An experimental program to reintroduce elk to the park was begun in 2001. Elk once roamed the Smokies, but were eliminated from the region in the mid 1800s by over-hunting and loss of habitat. Other animals successfully reintroduced to the park include river otters and barn owls.