Editing Blount County, Tennessee (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Chilhowee-mountain-blount-tn4.jpg|right|275px|thumb|Chilhowee Mountain in winter]]
[[File:FPmissinglink.jpg|thumb|View from the “Missing Link” of the Foothills Parkway]]
[[File:Fort Loudoun Lake subdivisions in Louisville, Tennessee.jpg|thumb|right|Lakefront subdivisions along the Tennessee River shoreline in Louisville]]

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|567|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|7.8|sqmi}} (1.4%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_47.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 1, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

The southern part of Blount County is part of the [[Great Smoky Mountains]], and is protected by the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]]. The crest of the range forms the county's border with [[Swain County, North Carolina]], and includes Blount's highest point, {{convert|5527|ft|m|adj=on}} [[Thunderhead Mountain]], and the {{convert|4949|ft|m|adj=on}} [[Gregory Bald]], a prominent [[Appalachian balds|grassy bald]]. The northern part of the county is part of the [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians]].<ref>Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, et al., "[http://www.epa.gov/ttnamti1/files/networkplans/TNPlan2010.pdf Ambient Air Monitoring Plan]," Environmental Protection Agency website, July 1, 2010, p. 6. Accessed: March 18, 2015.</ref> The geologic boundary between the Blue Ridge (which includes the Smokies) and Ridge-and-Valley provinces runs along [[Chilhowee Mountain]], a long and narrow ridge that stretches across the central part of the county.<ref>Harry Moore, ''A Roadside Guide to the Geology of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park'' (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1988), p. 149.</ref> Much of Blount's topography is characterized by elongate ridges and rolling hills&mdash; known locally as "The Foothills"&mdash; which emanate outward from the Smokies range.

The mountainous southern portion of Blount County is dotted by relatively isolated valleys known as [[Cove (Appalachian Mountains)|Appalachian coves]]. The best known of these valleys, [[Cades Cove]], is one of the most visited sections of the national park, and is noted for the remnants of the [[Appalachia]]n community that occupied the cove prior to the park's formation, as well as an abundance of wildlife, especially [[white-tailed deer]]. Tuckaleechee Cove is occupied by the city of [[Townsend, Tennessee|Townsend]], and Millers Cove is occupied by the community of [[Walland, Tennessee|Walland]]. This part of the county is also home to two large caves: [[Tuckaleechee Caverns]], a popular show cave, and Bull Cave, which at {{convert|924|ft|m}}, is the deepest in Tennessee.<ref>Larry E. Matthews,  "Caves of Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains", 2008, {{ISBN|978-1-879961-30-2}}, pages 171-173.</ref>

The [[Tennessee River]] forms part of Blount's border with [[Knox County, Tennessee|Knox County]] to the northwest. This section of the Tennessee is part of [[Fort Loudoun Lake]], an artificial lake created by the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]]. The [[Little Tennessee River]], a tributary of the Tennessee, forms part of Blount's southern border with [[Monroe County, Tennessee|Monroe County]], and includes three artificial lakes: [[Tellico Dam|Tellico]], [[Chilhowee Dam|Chilhowee]], and [[Calderwood Dam|Calderwood]] (two others, [[Cheoah Dam|Cheoah]] and [[Fontana Dam|Fontana]], are located just upstream in North Carolina). [[Little River (Tennessee)|Little River]], another tributary of the Tennessee, flows northward from deep within the Smokies and traverses the central part of the county. The river's confluence with its Middle Prong forms a popular swimming area known as the "Townsend Wye", which is located just inside the park south of Townsend.

===Geographical features===
*[[Great Smoky Mountains]]
*[[Chilhowee Mountain]]
*[[Thunderhead Mountain]]
*[[Gregory Bald]]
*[[Lake in the Sky (Tennessee)|Lake in the Sky]]
*[[Look Rock]]
*[[Fort Loudoun Lake]]
*[[Chilhowee Lake]]
*[[Little River (Tennessee)|Little River]]
*[[Little Tennessee River]]

===Adjacent counties===
*[[Knox County, Tennessee]] - north
*[[Sevier County, Tennessee]] - east
*[[Swain County, North Carolina]] - southeast
*[[Graham County, North Carolina]] - south
*[[Monroe County, Tennessee]] - southwest
*[[Loudon County, Tennessee]] - west

===National protected areas===
* [[Appalachian Trail]] (part)
* [[Foothills Parkway]] (part)
* [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] (part)

===State protected areas===
* Foothills Wildlife Management Area
* [[Sam Houston Schoolhouse]] (state historic site)
* Kyker Bottoms Refuge
* Tellico Lake Wildlife Management Area (part)
* Whites Mill Refuge