Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-102

§403k Boundary Between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee-pisgah-nantahala National Forests

Title 16 › CHAPTER 1 — NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › SUBCHAPTER XLVI — SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK AND GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK › § 403k

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines where the Great Smoky Mountains National Park meets three nearby national forests. For the Pisgah National Forest, the border starts where North Carolina Highway 284 first crosses the Cataloochee Divide (the same point named in Proclamation No. 2187 of July 10, 1936). From there it follows a line along ridges, summits, roads, creeks, and the edges of specific park tracts — passing Bent Knee Knob, Trail Ridge, White Oak Mountain, Cataloochee Creek, Longarm Mountain, Scottish Mountain, Mount Sterling Gap, Mount Sterling Creek, Ivy Gap, and other named points — and then runs with Highway 284 north to where it meets Tennessee Highway 75 at the state line. For the Nantahala and Cherokee (Unaka Division) National Forests, the park boundary just follows the forest boundaries set out in Proclamation No. 2185 of July 9, 1936, and Proclamation No. 2183 of July 8, 1936, respectively.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §403k

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The portion of the boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that is common to and between the park and the Cherokee-Pisgah-Nantahala National Forests hereafter shall be as follows:

(a)Between the Pisgah National Forest and Great Smoky Mountains National Park the boundary shall be as follows: Beginning at a point where North Carolina State Highway Numbered 284 first crosses the Cataloochee Divide, said point being common to the boundary of said forest as described in Proclamation Numbered 2187 of July 10, 1936, and the boundary of said park, as authorized by section 403 and 403a to 403c of this title; thence following the divide northeasterly to the summit of Bent Knee Knob; thence northwesterly and northerly following Trail Ridge and White Oak Mountain to a point where the present national forest boundary leaves White Oak Mountain and running with same northwesterly across Cataloochee Creek to the southeast corner of a tract of national park land and northwesterly through the same following the crest of the ridge next south of the east boundary of the said tract to the old road on the summit of Longarm Mountain; thence southwesterly and northwesterly follows the said road running with the top of Scottish Mountain and through a tract of national forest land to the south boundary of a tract of national park land just east of Mount Sterling Gap; thence northerly following the south and east boundaries of the said tract of national park land to the northeast corner thereof; thence northeasterly through a tract of national forest land, following the crest of the ridge parallel to and east of Mount Sterling Creek to the summit of the ridge terminated by the juncture of Mount Sterling Creek with its south prong; thence northwesterly across Mount Sterling Creek to the summit northeast of Ivy Gap; thence westerly to a point where the westerly boundary of a tract of Forest Service land diverges from North Carolina State Highway Numbered 284; thence with the highway northerly to a point where North Carolina Highway Numbered 284 joins Tennessee Highway Numbered 75 at the State line;

(b)Between Nantahala National Forest and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the boundary shall follow the boundary of said forest as described in Proclamation Numbered 2185 of July 9, 1936;

(c)Between Cherokee National Forest (Unaka Division) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the boundary shall follow the boundary of said forest as described in Proclamation Numbered 2183 of July 8, 1936.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 403k

Title 16, Conservation

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102