Smokies sees more than 12M visitors despite virus closure

FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2019, file photo, visitors to Great Smoky Mountain National Park drive through the park but facilities like the Sugarlands and Cades Cove visitor centers in Townsend, Tenn. Despite closing for more than a month because of COVID-19, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced its second busiest year on record last year. According to a news release, the park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border had a total of 12,095,720 visits in 2020. (Robert Berlin/The Daily Times via AP, File)