November 04, 2009
Park to Conduct Controlled Burn in Cades Cove
Fire managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park plan to conduct a series of controlled burns of fields in Cades Cove on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, November 4-6, if weather conditions permit. Park managers plan to burn several tracts west of Hyatt Lane on Wednesday and then burn the interior of the Loop between Hyatt Lane and Sparks Lane Thursday and Friday.
October 21, 2009
Oconaluftee Hosts Birds of Prey Program
Oconaluftee Visitor Center will host a special program on Birds of Prey combined with a special Evening on the Farm at the Mountain Farm Museum on Thursday, October 22.
October 14, 2009
Quilt Display at the Mountain Farm Museum
On Saturday, October 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a cornucopia of quilts will be displayed at the Mountain Farm Museum in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as quilting guilds from the region come together and offer the public a feast for their eyes.
September 22, 2009
Smokies Celebrates Public Lands Day
The National Park Service is inviting America to join in a day of service and celebration on Saturday, September 26, during Public Lands Day to help make America’s Best Idea—the national parks—even better. As part of the event, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will present a sneak preview of a new Ken Burns documentary and participate in a volunteer community service project in cooperation with the Keep Sevier Beautiful Roads and Rivers Day Fall Clean Up.
September 14, 2009
Water Wonders Workshop
Join Discover Life in America for the opportunity to glimpse the biodiversity of the bottom of streams through a hands-on experience in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Saturday, September 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
August 03, 2009
Newfound Gap Road Closure for 75th Anniversary Event
Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) between Cherokee, NC and Gatlinburg, TN will be closed from sunset on Tuesday September 1 until late afternoon on Wednesday September 2.
July 09, 2009
Volunteer Science Field Days Offered On Three Occasions
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is offering high school-aged students, their families, and the general public to join scientists and educators in collecting scientific data during field activities in the national park. Three separate citizen science programs are scheduled: Monday, July 13, and Tuesday, July 14, are specifically targeted for teenagers and their families and Wednesday, July 15, is open to the general public at any age.
July 08, 2009
Environmental Assessment of Proposed Cades Cove Campground Store Improvement Project Issued
Managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have issued an Environmental Assessment (EA) which describes the possible resource and visitor impacts of the Park proposal to improve concession facilities at Cades Cove Campground Store.
June 30, 2009
Noted Author to Present Hiking Book
Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host author Danielle "Danny" Bernstein on Tuesday, July 7 at 10 a.m. at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Bernstein’s newest guidebook, Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage, lists 66 day hikes, ranging in length from 1 to 13 miles.
June 25, 2009
Citizen Science Opportunities Will Help to Conduct Field Research
Volunteer in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a Citizen Scientist on June 29 and July 2 and join park researchers and educators in collecting scientific data in the national park.
June 25, 2009
Students Win Awards for National History Day Competition
In honor of its 75th Anniversary in 2009, Great Smoky Mountains National Park collaborated with the Western North Carolina National History Day competition, and invited area middle and high school students to submit entries focused on an individual who was important in the park's creation or history.
June 12, 2009
Oconaluftee Visitor Center Hosts "Women's Work"
On Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the century-old buildings at the Mountain Farm Museum in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will come alive as national park staff and volunteers pay tribute to rural women of the past through demonstrations of traditional women’s work.
June 09, 2009
75th Anniversary Concert Ticket Information and Weather Cancellation Advisories
Great Smoky Mountains National Park managers have extended the opportunity to purchase vehicle passes for the 75th Anniversary outdoor concert performance by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra on June 13 at 3 p.m. in Cades Cove. Persons interested in attending the concert will now need to purchase a pass in person between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, at the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra box office located at 100 South Gay Street, Knoxville, Tenn.
June 09, 2009
Anniversary Festivities and Groundbreaking of New Visitor Center at Oconaluftee
On June 15, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate the actual 75th Anniversary date of the Park's creation during a public event featuring traditional Appalachian music, storytelling, and Cherokee dancers. The highlight of the occasion will be the groundbreaking for the new visitor center planned at Oconaluftee. The celebration, the last of a series of events during the Park's Anniversary Weekend, will take place from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Mountain Farm Museum, adjacent to the existing visitor center, 2 miles north of Cherokee.
June 08, 2009
Public Invited to Open House at Park Headquarters
Superintendent Dale Ditmanson and personnel at Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host an Open House to welcome the public to Park Headquarters on Sunday, June 14 as part of the 75th Anniversary Weekend celebration.
May 28, 2009
Cades Cove Loop Road to be Closed for Concert
On Saturday, June 13, the Cades Cove Loop Road and Laurel Creek Road to Cades Cove will be closed to the general public starting at 12 noon to accommodate the 75th Anniversary concert performed by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) in the Cable Mill area of Cades Cove.
May 26, 2009
Elkmont Entrance Road Closed Nightly June 6-14
The Elkmont entrance road will be closed to motor vehicles and pedestrian use every night from at 5:00 p.m. until midnight, June 6-14, except to registered campers staying at the Elkmont Campground. The closure is to accommodate transportation service for visitors planning to spend the evening viewing the natural-occurring, synchronous firefly beetles at Elkmont.
May 26, 2009
Symphony Program for 75th Anniversary Concert in Cades Cove
Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced the musical selection for the 75th Anniversary outdoor concert performance by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra on June 13 at 3 p.m. in Cades Cove.
April 29, 2009
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Fire Update
A total of almost 40 firefighters at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are working today to contain the Laurel Falls II Fire, which is located along the Park’s Little River Road about 5 miles west of the Park’s Sugarlands Visitor Center.
April 28, 2009
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Responding to Four Fires
Fire fighters at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are assigned to three different wild land fires on national park property.
April 27, 2009
Newfound Gap Road Designated As Scenic Byway
The Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has recently received State Scenic Byway designation by both the States of North Carolina and Tennessee. Newfound Gap Road (US 441), stretching 34 miles between Gatlinburg, TN and Cherokee, NC, is a principle roadway that completely transverses the park leading to the highest elevations.
April 23, 2009
Musical Performance at Cades Cove
Ellie Grace, a singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, will entertain visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m. The performance will take place at Cades Cove in the auditorium next to the campground.
April 22, 2009
Clingmans Dome Road Closure
Clingmans Dome Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed to visitor use starting at 7 p.m. on April 23 to 5 p.m. on April 24. The Clingmans Dome Road is a 7 mile spur road off of Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441).
April 17, 2009
Park Recruits Volunteers to Assist With Elk Program
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Volunteers-in-Parks program is currently enlisting volunteers to assist with the experimental elk reintroduction project in Cataloochee Valley, NC.
April 17, 2009
Wildflower Pilgrimage Offers a Unique National Park Experience
The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is scheduled April 22-26, 2009, and consists of a variety of outdoor and indoor programs. The daily venues that cover over 150 wildflower and wildlife walks, talks, and photographic tours in the park.
April 17, 2009
Park Prescribed Burn Today Will Close Wear Cove Entrance
The Fire Management Office at Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced that a 200 acre prescribed burn will be conducted today just south of the Wears Valley in Sevier County, TN. The Park’s Wear Cove Road will serve as one of the control lines of the fire and will be closed from mid-day today until Saturday morning.
April 14, 2009
Prescribed Burn Planned in Cades Cove
Fire management officials at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have announced plans to conduct a 200 acre prescribed burn just inside the park south of Wears Valley in Sevier County, TN. The burn will take place sometime prior to May 1, but the specific date is weather-dependent.
April 14, 2009
National Junior Ranger Day Programs
Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate the third annual National Junior Ranger Day on Saturday, April 25, with special activities at the park’s three visitor centers from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
April 10, 2009
New Facilities Dedicated at Sugarlands Riding Stables
A dedication ceremony for the new concession facilities recently completed at Sugarlands Riding Stables was held yesterday in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
April 03, 2009
New Facilities at Sugarlands Riding Stables
New concession facilities at the Sugarlands Riding Stables near Gatlinburg, TN, will be dedicated during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 9 at 11:00 a.m. The public is invited to attend and tour the new buildings which have a number of innovative features.
April 03, 2009
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Closes All Park Caves to Protect Bats
In response to a growing concern about a new malady that has killed an estimated 400,000 bats in the Northeast, managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have closed all of its caves to public entry until further notice.
March 24, 2009
Park To Conduct Controlled Burn of Cades Cove Meadows
Fire managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park plan to begin conducting a series of controlled burns of fields in the interior of Cades Cove on Tuesday March 24, 2009, if weather conditions permit. Park managers plan to burn three to seven different parcels totaling up to 300 acres from now until May 1.
March 17, 2009
University of Virginia Students Aid Park Trails
Each year students from colleges and universities across the nation spend their spring breaks doing volunteer service projects in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
March 17, 2009
Music of the Mountains Public Concerts
Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the City of Gatlinburg have announced the "Music of the Mountains" program on Saturday, March 28, 2009, a jointly-sponsored event that celebrates the national park’s 75th anniversary with southern Appalachian music.
March 11, 2009
Girls Summer Science Camp Being Offered in the Smokies
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now recruiting rising 8th grade girls for its summer Girls in Science Camp at its environmental residential center, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont located near Townsend, TN. The camp will be held June 22-27, 2009. It is made possible through a 3-year, $1,000,000 Science Education grant from Toyota to Friends of the Smokies, a non-profit organization that supports conservation, education, and other Park priorities. The camp is just one of the programs made possible through the grant.
March 06, 2009
Park Seeking High School Students for Paid Summer Internships
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now recruiting high school students in North Carolina for its summer internship program, starting June 22 through July 31.
March 03, 2009
Ticket Information Available for 75th Anniversary Concert in Cades Cove
The sounds of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) will grace the coves and hollows of Cades Cove on Saturday, June 13 at 3 p.m. with a variety of classical compositions during a 90-minute outdoor concert as part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park diamond anniversary celebration.
March 02, 2009
Park Finds No Significant Environmental Impact in Proposal to Construct New Visitor Center
Officials at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have completed an Environmental Assessment of the potential impacts of constructing the planned new Oconaluftee Visitor Center and have issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The decision clears the way for construction of the new state-of-the art visitor center, immediately adjacent to the Park’s existing facility, on Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) about 2 miles inside the Park’s Cherokee, North Carolina Entrance.
March 02, 2009
Senator Lamar Alexander Confirms Smokies 75th Anniversary Performance
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent, Dale A. Ditmanson, has been notified that Tennessee’s Senior Senator, Lamar Alexander, has confirmed his plans to appear as a guest pianist in a June 13 Knoxville Symphony Orchestra performance in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the national park.
February 05, 2009
Park Visitation in 2008
Four percent fewer visitors traveled to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Calendar Year 2008 when compared to the same period in 2007. During a year of soaring automotive fuel prices and a highly-publicized faltering economy, the park received 9,044,010 visitors through its three main entrances and outlying areas throughout Tennessee and North Carolina in 2008.
December 30, 2008
Forge Creek Road Closes for the Winter
Managers at Great Smoky Mountains National have announced that the Forge Creek Road, which extends from the park’s Cable Mill Visitor Center in Cades Cove to the Gregory Ridge Trailhead, has been closed until mid-March.
November 12, 2008
Smokies Sets Public Briefing on Cades Cove Road Paving Plans
Great Smoky Mountains National Park managers are offering a presentation on the alternative schedules and construction phases that the park is considering to repave the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road in early 2010. The presentation will run from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 13 at the Townsend Heritage Center.
November 12, 2008
Youth Group Takes Part in the Trails Forever Program
Volunteers from the Maryville Housing Authority’s Youth Outdoor Recreation Program in Blount County, Tenn., responded to a call to assist Great Smoky Mountains National Park in improving trails during “Make a Difference Day” on October 25, the nation’s largest single day of volunteerism.
September 23, 2008
Concession Contract Awarded for Cades Cove Riding Stables
National Park Service Southeast Regional Director David Vela has announced that National and State Park Concessions Riding Stables, Inc. has been selected to operate the Cades Cove Riding Stables under the terms of a new 7-year concession contract, effective January 1, 2009.
September 23, 2008
Updates on Horse Rental Operations in Park
The Sugarlands Riding Stables in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just inside the park’s Gatlinburg, Tenn. entrance, has reopened. In addition, Smokemont Riding Stables, the only stable in North Carolina, is now offering horse-drawn wagon rides.
September 23, 2008
Foothills Parkway Construction Resumes
The next phase of construction of the Foothills Parkway "Missing Link" in Blount County, Tenn., will begin on Monday, September 22. Over the next eight months a contractor will construct 1,200 feet of new roadway which will run westward from the end of the partly-finished Parkway segment off U.S. 321 in Wears Valley.
July 08, 2008
Trout Unlimited Donates $14,000 for Brook Trout Restoration
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Fisheries Biologists got a big boost last week in their efforts to restore native brook trout to a Park stream in the form of a $14,000 donation from the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
June 26, 2008
Toyota's Million Dollar Donation Enhances Environmental Education
Toyota and Great Smoky Mountains National Park have partnered to foster environmental education through Toyota’s contribution of $1 million and three hybrid vehicles to America’s most visited national park.
June 24, 2008
Smokies Rolls Out Two Zero-Emission Vehicles
Park operations in Deep Creek Campground and at Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina got a little cleaner and a little quieter this month with the addition of two new donated electric vehicles.
June 17, 2008
Smokies Launches Global Climate Educational Initiative
Great Smoky Mountains National Park launched a new "Do Your Part!" initiative aimed at educating visitors about measures that they can take, in the park and at home, to reduce their contributions to global warming.
June 04, 2008
Smokies Begins Sampling for Emerald Ash Borer Beetles
Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have begun asking about some strange-looking bright purple triangular objects hanging in trees near the park’s campgrounds and picnic areas. They may resemble Japanese lanterns, but these are actually beetle traps the park is using to detect the arrival of a new, non-native insect pest, the emerald ash borer.
April 23, 2008
Park Releases Oconaluftee Environmental Assessment
Officials at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are seeking public input on an Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding a proposal to construct a new visitor center, restrooms, and an information kiosk in the Oconaluftee area of the Park, near Cherokee, N.C. Under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Park is inviting public comment on the proposed facilities during a 30-day public review process that will end on May 27, 2008.
April 11, 2008
Elk Bugle Corp Volunteer Recruitment
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Volunteers-in-Parks program is currently enlisting another round of volunteers to assist with the experimental elk reintroduction project in Cataloochee Valley, N.C.
April 11, 2008
Trout Unlimited River Cleanup
Two local chapters of Trout Unlimited, a leading trout conservation organization, are sponsoring litter cleanup volunteer efforts with a complimentary lunch in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They are scheduled on two Saturdays in April in the Tennessee and North Carolina areas of the Park. Volunteers are being recruited to join members of Trout Unlimited to help pick up litter on April 12 along the Little River in Tennessee with the Little River Chapter and on April 26 along the Oconaluftee River in North Carolina with the Tuskaseigee Chapter.
March 06, 2008
Park Recruiting High School Students for Paid Summer Internships
The Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now recruiting high school students for its summer internship program for 2008. The program is made possible through a 3-year, $138,600 grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to Friends of the Smokies, a non-profit organization that supports conservation, education, and other Park priorities.
January 16, 2008
North Shore Road Record of Decision Available for Review
The National Park Service announced its Record of Decision on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the North Shore Road in December 2007 calling for a monetary settlement to Swain County, North Carolina. The Record of Decision is now available for review at several locations.
January 03, 2008
Smokies Receives Equipment Donation from ORVIS
Fisheries managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently accepted a $5,000 assortment of waders and wading shoes from the ORVIS Corporation.
January 02, 2008
Monetary Settlement to Resolve North Shore Road Issue
On December 28, 2007 Paul Anderson, the Acting Southeast Regional Director of the National Park Service, signed a Record of Decision that officially calls for a monetary settlement to Swain County, North Carolina as the conclusion to the Environmental Impact Statement process at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
October 03, 2007
Smokies Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement on North Shore Road
Officials from the National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have released a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) which outlines the Agency’s Preferred Alternative for the North Shore Road.
June 28, 2007
Park Unveils New Junior Ranger Books and Summer Program Schedule
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in cooperation with Great Smoky Mountains Association, is unveiling four new Junior Ranger activity booklets for children who want to become Junior Rangers this summer. The booklets are designed to better serve a variety of targeted age groups: 5 to 6, 7 to 8, 9 to 10, and 11 to 12.
June 28, 2007
Park Issues Decision Following Brook Trout Assessment
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson announced today the approval of the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) signaling completion of the Final Environmental Assessment for Opening of the Brook Trout Fishery for Recreational Use. The FONSI was signed on June 11, 2007, and culminates nearly a year of planning in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
January 30, 2007
Smokies Announce New Reservation System
Starting February 7 campers planning a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and many other federally-managed recreation areas will be able to make their campsite reservations on-line at www.Recreation.Gov and by phone toll-free at 1-877-444-6777 up to six months before their arrival.
September 18, 2006
New Guidelines For Wedding Permits Developed
Park officials have developed new guidelines for managing weddings and wedding related activities in the national park to avoid conflicts between wedding parties and the general public and to reduce potential impacts to park resources.
July 19, 2006
Donation Supports Student Interns
Students from four North Carolina high schools have been selected to work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this summer thanks to a 3-year, $162,200 grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to Friends of the Smokies.
March 28, 2006
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Environmental Assessment Approved
In August 2005 the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepared and distributed for public input an Environmental Assessment (EA) on the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) management strategies for reducing the insect’s impact on forest resources.
March 21, 2006
Park Opens Streams to Brook Trout Fishing
For the first time in over 30 years anglers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be allowed to catch and keep brook trout under new experimental Park fishing regulations that take affect April 15, 2006
