East Tennessee Border - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 741

This covered bride in Elizabethton, built in 1882, is listed on the National Registry of Historic Sites. It has survived nu-
merous floods, including the great flood of 1901, which washed out all the other bridges in the county.
11. Cherokee National Forest
Stretching along most of Tennessee's eastern border—interrupted only by Great Smoky
Mountains National Park—Cherokee National Forest is laced with enticing trails. In au-
tumn huge numbers of nut-bearing trees release a slow-motion hail of black walnuts,
butternuts, beechnuts, hickory nuts, pecans, and acorns to the forest floor, where wild
boar—rarelyseen—viewithbearandsquirrelsfornature'sfeast.Thenationalforestcovers
633,000 acres in ten counties of east Tennessee and is home to a wide variety of wildlife
and wildflowers. Mountain trout fill its cold streams, and footpaths garnished with tiny
white and yellow flowers lead to a myriad of hidden waterfalls as they crisscross the an-
cient Appalachian Trail that traverses the forest's high ridges. Stop at ranger stations for
hiking, kayaking, biking, and fly-fishing information.
Panoramic view of the Great Smoky Mountains