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When visitors fall in love with Cherokee — and they do — they’re in good company. The Cherokee people have called this land home and heaven on earth since long before ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome first arose. The planet’s greatest biodiversity thrives here. The mountains themselves are the world’s oldest, the geological equivalent of long-loved blue jeans. No wonder you feel drawn here. The whole animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms seem to feel the same way.

Facts at a Glance

A Place for All Seasons

In the spring, wildflowers stretch their carpet to the horizon, and blossoming trees add tang to the breeze.Summer brings a cycle of cool dawns, warm afternoons of hawks soaring on thermals, and sunsets that pin you to your camp chair as you watch flame fade to blue where the ridgelines meet the clouds. Fall ignites a color festival beyond description, pulling you around each bend in the stream, trail or road. These are all great times here - and you’ll have great times here - whatever your outdoor enthusiasms may be.

Outdoor Recreation

Just within the Qualla Boundary, you’ll enjoy 30 miles of fabulous fishing for rainbows, browns and speckled trout. In the town of Cherokee proper, Oconaluftee Islands Park offers gently flowing water over a smooth bottom sloped gently enough to welcome wading toddlers. In the surrounding hills, are waters right for every pursuit from lazy tubing to shooting Class IV and Class V rapids.
Your choices on dry land are just as inviting. Take an easy stroll or an epic hike ¬America’s greatest hiking trail, the Appalachian Trail, runs through Qualla on its course up from Georgia to Maine. And the pleasures of walking here range from counting waterfalls to watching great elk pass through a clearing.
Or you can go vertical: This region is a rock-climbing mecca. It’s equally extraordinary for pedaling adventure, offering renowned mountain trails and road biking so sporting that top pro cyclists train here. At the same time, many campground and valley roads are flat and friendly enough for relaxed, family-paced riding.

If motorized exploration is more to your taste, arrive on your Gold Wing, trailer your Hog, or rent ATVs. Cruise the Blue Ridge Parkway ¬ America’s most beautiful drive. Visit an area stable and take in our trails from the saddle. Or ride the iron horse ¬- one of America’s finest scenic railways is just minutes from here.

Cherokee is a naturalist’s dream, with a world-class profusion of flora and fauna from tiny wildflowers to great elk and black bears. And when you stop and listen, instead of horns and alarms, you hear wind and water and fluttering leaves. For the Cherokee people, this land has always been at the center, the source of sustenance, solace, celebration and wisdom. When you come and explore - or simply sit, take your time, and let the land enter - you will understand why.