The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains portion of the Appalachian Mountains. The border between Tennessee to the west and North Carolina to the east runs northeast to southwest through the middle of the park. On its route from Maine to Georgia, the Appalachian Trail also passes through the center of the park. The park was first created in 1934, and it encompasses 815 square miles (2,110 km²), making it one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States. The main park entrance is on the Tennessee side of the mountains, through the town of Gatlinburg.