Cherokee National Forest, created in 1920 and managed by the United States Forest Service, spans eastern Tennessee and a small part of North Carolina across about 655,598 acres. Stretching along much of the Tennessee–North Carolina border, it is divided into northern and southern sections by Great Smoky Mountains National Park and includes parts of the Unicoi Mountains, major reservoirs, the Ocoee River, and about 150 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Recreation, including hiking, camping, boating, and trout fishing, is central to the forest. It also protects diverse wildlife and eleven wilderness areas, making it one of Tennessee’s principal protected mountain landscapes.