By Linda Tancs

Tennessee’s only national forest, Cherokee National Forest is the largest tract of public land in the state, separated into two parts by Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Covering nearly 630,000 acres in 10 East Tennessee counties, it has a whopping 30 developed campgrounds, 30 picnic areas, 700 miles of trail, hundreds of miles of cold water streams and seven whitewater rivers, among other things. Recreational opportunities are plentiful, a popular one being ginseng harvesting. Ginseng is a native plant of Tennessee that grows mostly in cool, moist mountain forests. Keep an eye out for the permitting process in the coming months. The collection process is limited.

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