Climbing up the last few steps of the worn trail, you are suddenly greeted by breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Far below you can make out the cleared areas of the historical settlement you visited this morning, and the thin ribbon of road winding through the forest. Birds sing in the tree canopy around you, just one part of one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth. There's only one place you can be: Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Brought into existence in the early 1900s in an effort to preserve what had not been felled by settlers and loggers, the park stands today as the largest east of the Mississippi and most visited in the United States . During the last ice age, the spreading cold forced species of Flora and Fauna to migrate south. The ice never reached the Smokies, and that's where many of the species took up living. As the ice retreated, most species thought that the mountains weren't too bad and decided to stay. With more species of trees than on the entire European continent, the Smokies are a World Heritage Site for biodiversity.