25th Annual Wilderness Wildlife Week in the Smokies

The dates have been set for one of the premier annual events in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The 25th annual Wilderness Wildlife Week, an eight-day event that focuses on the Great Smoky Mountains and the outdoors in general, will take place January 24th thru January 31st. Many of this year's programs, all of which are free, will be held at the LeConte Center At Pigeon Forge, the City of Pigeon Forge’s new state-of-the-art events center.

Throughout the event’s history people have traveled from as far away as Australia, Canada, China, England and New Zealand to take part in the eight-day extravaganza of honoring and celebrating the great outdoors

On tap this year are several hundred workshops, lectures, panel discussions, mini-concerts, hikes and excursions to America’s most visited national park.

While the vast majority of Wilderness Wildlife Week programs are indoors, there are more than 65 hikes and excursions on this year's calendar. They range from a heritage tour in Cades Cove, to a 3.5-mile walk through the Elkmont Historic District, to a strenuous 13.5-mile hike in the Mt. Collins / Chimney Tops area. Round trip transportation to the trailheads will be provided for each hike.

Many of the programs are brand new for 2015, and the lineup is different each day. Multiple hiking presentations will be included on this year's agenda.

Wilderness Wildlife Week, named 10 times as a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event, is part of Pigeon Forge Winterfest, which starts in November and continues through February.

Details on Wilderness Wildlife Week, including the program schedule and hike information can be found by clicking here.

For more detailed information on many of the hikes included on this year's schedule, please click here. For accommodations in the Pigeon Forge area, please click here.



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com