GATLINBURG (AP) - Visits to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park continue to outpace those of last year.
The National Park Service said nearly 1.5 million people came into the park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border last month. That was a 4.5% increase over July 2011 visitation.
Year to date, visits to the Smokies are up 9.6% over the first seven months of last year. They are also 3.4% ahead of the 5-year average for the same period.
In a typical year, July is the month that sees the highest number of visitors.
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