Shared by Tennessee and North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park stretches for more than 521,000 acres in the rumples of the Southern Appalachians. The park is easily one of the National Park Service's largest properties east of the Mississippi, so it is no wonder that many first-time visitors are overwhelmed. Here are 10 suggestions to help make your trip planning easier.

A surprise inspection of commercial tour buses at Yosemite National Park turned up numerous safety concerns. Over half the buses inspected were cited for violations and two were immediately removed from service.

Michael Dunn always wondered how he would die, whether his life might be lost in a plane crash or if he would grow old and simply not wake one morning. But as he repeatedly was raked by the grizzly's 4-inch-long claws and berry-stained fangs, he feared fate was at hand.

A busy day at a popular park generates lots of incidents for rangers to handle.