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Show Eastern Parks Offer Variety To The Tourist The Shenandoah and Smoky mountains national parks offer an unsurpassed beauty treat to mid-westerners mid-westerners whose previous vacations vaca-tions have shown them the wonders of the Rockies. Great Smoky mountains national park embraces 460,000 acres, of which 200,000 are still covered by primeval forests. The peaks and ridges of the range, rising above 6,000 feet, and almost always veiled in mist, are the starting point of some 600 miles of trout streams. The north entrance to the park is 30 miles southeast of Knoxville, Tenn., making it easily accessible by all types of transportation. Busses make two round trips from Knoxville through the park daily. There are two camp grounds in the park, and hotel and tourist camp facilities are available in nearby cities and towns and at Knoxville Knox-ville and Asheville. Blue Ridge national parkway, a 485-mile strip of parkland connecting connect-ing the Great Smoky mountains and Shenandoah national parks, will eventually have a modern highway running its entire length. U. S. route H provides an almost direct connection between the two parks at present. A more scenic approach to Shenandoah Shen-andoah from north of Roanoke, Va., is along the completed portion of the parkway, which connects with Skyline drive running the entire length of the park along the crest of the Blue Ridge. The Skyline drive is 107 miles long, with parking areas, picnic grounds and a camping area along its length. Visitors may enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Shenandoah Shenan-doah valley's fertile farmlands on the west and the rolling hills of Piedmont plateau on the east. |