A comprehensive soil survey was conducted in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park crossing the boundaries of two states, North Carolina and Tennessee. This study was a cooperative project between the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the National Park Service. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of parent material on textural classes between the soils forming on the Anakeesta slates and the Thunderhead sandstones. Field descriptions and laboratory data was completed according to the standards of the National Cooperative Soil Survey. All soils selected for the comparison in this study were classified as Humic Dystrudepts. Two pedons from the Luftee Series, representing the Anakeesta slates, showed soil textures ranging from loam to fine sandy loam. Two pedons from the Breakneck Series, representing the Thunderhead sandstones, had soil textures ranging from sandy loam to sandy clay loam. From these data, the soils forming in the Thunderhead Sandstone contain more clay.