Although North Carolina's Nantahala National Forest was first explored by Spanish conquistadors in the 1540s, Native American tribes lived, hunted, and fished in the region for hundreds of years prior. Nantahala National Forest came into being in 1920 when President Woodrow Wilson decided that the natural beauty, old-growth woods, and picturesque waterfalls were worthy of protection and declared the region a National Park. Nantahala is derived from a Cherokee Native American word that roughly translates to the “land of the noonday sun.” Indeed, there are steep valleys, gorges, and chasms that see sunlight for only a few minutes when the sun reaches its peak. Nantahala National Forest, encompassing over 531,000 acres, is the largest of the four national forests in North Carolina.