Southern Forest Watch Loses Legal Fight Against Backcountry Camping Fees

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

No comments
According to documents provided by John Quillen, a lawsuit brought forth by the Southern Forest Watch group that challenged the backcountry camping fee system in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has failed. In July of 2011 Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that they were considering a new backcountry fee system to help pay costs associated with backcountry camping. Almost...
Read More

Next Phase of Work on Newfound Gap Road Begins in April

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

No comments
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that a project to repave 4.3 miles of Newfound Gap Road will begin on April 13. This work is part of a multi-phased rehabilitation project started in 2007. The section to be resurfaced extends from Sugarlands Visitor Center south to Chimney’s Picnic Area where the last phase ended. This section of road was last repaved in the 1980s and...
Read More

How to Prevent Blisters

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

1 comment
As Sheri Propster emphatically states, blisters do suck! In this short video she offers several ways to help prevent, and treat, blisters. A couple years ago I also published a blog that offers several tips for "taking care of your hiking feet", which provides an overview of taking care of your entire foot while hiking. Jeff HikingintheSmokys.com HikinginGlacier.com RockyMount...
Read More

2015 Spring Ranger-led Program Schedule

Monday, March 23, 2015

No comments
Last week the Great Smoky Mountains National Park published their 2015 Spring Ranger-led Program Schedule. The schedule includes events and guided hikes through May 9th. Hikers may want to note that there area series of three guided hikes, as well as a hiking seminar geared towards beginner hikers. Here's a quick look at some of the programs hikers may be interested in. Each of these occurs on a weekly...
Read More

Appalachian Trail Hiker Killed by Falling Tree

Thursday, March 19, 2015

No comments
On Sunday March 15th, Jason R. Parish, age 36, of Philadelphia, PA, was killed when he sustained a fatal head injury after being struck by a falling tree while hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Parish’s two hiking companions said they began their hike on March 13th from Harpers Ferry, WV. The accident occurred about 6.3 miles north of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, on a steep and rocky section near...
Read More

Smokies Plans Prescribed Burn near Cataloochee

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

No comments
Great Smoky Mountains National Park fire management officials are planning a 550-acre prescribed burn in the Wash Ridge unit adjacent to Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina. Weather permitting, burn operations could begin as early as Wednesday, March 18th, and may continue intermittently through mid-April. The burn is part of the larger multi-year prescribed fire project where fire managers...
Read More

Your Chance To Be On Survivorman Episode With Les Stroud

Sunday, March 15, 2015

No comments
Les Stroud, star of OLN Canada and Discovery Channel’s Survivorman, is heading into the wilderness again, but this time he will not be alone. Les is taking one lucky fan with him, with no food, no water, no shelter and no camera crew, for an episode of Survivorman. Les has survived in a raft at sea, fought off the frigid cold, avoided bear attacks and more, logging a half-million miles trekking across...
Read More

Volunteers Needed to Staff Clingmans Dome Information Center

Saturday, March 14, 2015

No comments
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to help provide visitor information at Clingmans Dome. The information center sits at 6,300 feet in elevation providing a unique opportunity for park volunteers to assist in educating visitors about high-elevation spruce-fir forests, while also providing recreational, trip planning, and directional information. The information center,...
Read More

Laurel Falls Trail Temporarily Closed Due to Storm Damage

Thursday, March 12, 2015

No comments
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced the temporary closure of the popular Laurel Falls Trail due to storm damage. The park has received a significant amount of rain over the past week. The rain comes after several ice and snow storms had already saturated the soil. On Wednesday afternoon, a park volunteer discovered a portion of the trail just before the falls had washed out. “Our...
Read More

All Streams in the Smokies Now Open to Fishing

Thursday, March 12, 2015

No comments
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced the reopening of Lynn Camp Prong to fishing effective March 6, 2015 following a seven-year native, brook trout restoration project. The reopening of the 8.5 mile-stream sections marks the first time, since the park’s establishment in 1934, that all streams in the park are open to fishing. By preserving a healthy, reproducing population of...
Read More

Decline of the Balds

Friday, March 6, 2015

No comments
The following is a guest blog by Cabins USA Gatlinburg: "As it stands, the best pasturage is high up in the mountains, where there are "balds" covered with succulent wild grass." In Our Southern Highlanders, Horace Kephart recalled the prominent grassy balds that were used by settlers in the Smoky Mountains as grazing pasture. Around the time Kephart was exploring the Smokies in the early 1900s,...
Read More

The Great Smoky Mountains Scavenger Hunt

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

No comments
Now's the time to gather your friends, family and co-workers together to create a team for the annual Great Smoky Mountains Scavenger Hunt! This year's event will take place on the weekend of March 20th and 21st. The hunt, organized by the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, ranges over most of the park, and uses roads and official trails to access particular areas. Some questions require...
Read More

Big South Fork Estimates 80% of Park Impacted by Ice Storm

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

No comments
A large ice storm incident on February 21, 2015, crippled a large portion of the Upper Cumberland Plateau, including the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, after a week of snow and subfreezing temperatures. Snow-covered roads became ice sheets. Trees, branches and power lines were broken by the weight of ice and wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph. A week long assessment has determined...
Read More

"Get On the Trail" Hiking Series

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

No comments
Join Friends of the Smokies and fitness expert Missy Kane once again for another series of hikes this upcoming spring. Each Wednesday throughout the month of April, Missy and Friends will hike a different trail in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Ms. Kane was an Olympic runner and a Pan American Games medalist.

"Get on the Trail" is a great opportunity for people who are new to the area, or are new to hiking, as well as people who just want to know more about the Park.

The dates for this year's spring series are: April 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 30th:

APRIL 1st
Twin Creeks Trail to Bud Ogle Cabin
Easy, 4 miles

APRIL 8th
Little Brier Gap Trail to Little Greenbrier Trail
Easy, 4-5 mile loop

APRIL 15th
Porters Creek Trail
Moderate, 7 miles

APRIL 22nd
Appalachian Trail to Sweat Heifer, to Kephart Prong Trail
Moderate, 7.4 miles

APRIL 30th
Big Creek Trail to Campsite #37
Moderate to Difficult, 10.2 miles

The cost is $20.00 per hike, with maps and goodies being provided by Friends and Missy. You must register by calling 865-541-4500 (Covenant Call Center) as space is limited.

Now celebrating it's 17th year, Get on the Trail with Friends and Missy has raised more than $140,000, with proceeds going towards the support for the preservation and protection of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

For more information, contact Sarah Weeks at Friends of the Smokies, 1-865-932-4794 or sarah@friendsofthesmokies.org.



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
HikinginGlacier.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Read More

Fontana Dam To Be Designated as Newest Appalachian Trail Community

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

No comments
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), along with the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club (SMHC), invite the public to attend the official designation of Fontana Dam, North Carolina, as the newest Appalachian Trail Community™. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 26, and is free and open to the public. The event will kick off at 11 a.m. with music from the Larry Barnett Duo, allowing attendees...
Read More