The Unseen Beauties of the Great Smoky Mountains

DENISE SORIANO | AUG. 10, 2021 | PHOTO ESSAY

These photos were taken on a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Although the range is famous for its hazy blue mountains, there are many surrounding areas in the park that are just as stunning. In an area rich with nature and history, the unseen beauty of the Smokies were captured by Associate Photography Editor Denise Soriano.

This tree lacks greenery due to the cold winter season.

Gravestones are scattered throughout the park, marking bodies from as early as the 1700s.

The top of a Protestant church located in the Smokies’ Cades Cove Loop.

One of the many smaller waterfalls located in the national park.

Three perfectly aligned green leaves stand out in a pile of brown, dried leaves and sticks.

A close-up of the bark of a tree.

The doorway of a historic wooden house.

Small, thin leaves adorn the branches of this dainty plant.

Sparsely placed yellow flowers add a touch of color to the gray scenery.