SOCIAL MEDIA

Higher Prices and Limited Access Coming to a Park Near You

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

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Perhaps the title to this blog might be construed as being highly provocative, but reality tells me that many of the trends I'm seeing are already pointing in these directions. Please note that I'm in no way advocating for either of these as possible solutions to perceived problems, but rather simply pointing out where I believe our national parks are headed. The perceived problem among many within...
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Cosby Area Temporarily Closed Due to Storm Damage

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced the temporary closure of the Cosby entrance road due to flood damage. On June 22 at approximately 4:00 p.m., flash flooding along Rock Creek spilled over the banks damaging road shoulders along 1,500 linear feet of the Cosby entrance road. Underground electric and phone lines were exposed along most of the road where the shoulder area was washed...
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5 Tips on Solo Hiking

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

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Have you ever considered solo hiking? If so, you may want to consider these five tips from Backpacker Magazine before hitting the trail: Jeff HikingintheSmokys.com HikinginGlacier.com RockyMountainHikingTrails.com TetonHikingTrails....
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Smokies Receives Donation For Search and Rescue Program

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers were presented with 15 high-performance search and rescue jackets by donors to support field rangers in inclement weather. Rangers respond to approximately 100 search and rescue incidents annually, many of which occur during hazardous weather conditions in the backcountry. Local community members in Sevier County led efforts to raise funds for the park’s...
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How To Use Bear Spray

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

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While hiking in a wilderness area that has bears, your best line of defense in the unlikely event of an attack is bear spray. Perhaps counter-intuitively, bear spray is actually more effective than a gun. According to one study, bear spray is 95% effective in stopping a bear attack, while firearms are only 55% effective. Bear spray is also effective against black bears, and is something you may want...
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Black Bear Attacks Camper in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Monday, June 8, 2015

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have closed several trails and backcountry campsites in the Hazel Creek section of the park due to a bear incident occurring at approximately 10:30 p.m. on June 6th. A 16-year old male from Ohio was pulled from his hammock by a bear and injured at backcountry campsite 84 which is 4.5 miles from the Fontana Lake shoreline near Hazel Creek in NC. The father...
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Eight Reasons to Start Your Hike in the Early Morning

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

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Like many people, I really hate getting up early in the morning. As a teenager it wasn’t uncommon for me to sleep-in until 10, 11 or even high noon on some weekends. However, over the years, as I’ve become a more active participant in hiking, I’ve come to realize that it’s best to begin your hike as early in the morning as possible. Depending on the length of the hike, we usually try to get to the...
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Volunteers Needed for Appalachian Trail Crew in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Monday, June 1, 2015

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The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) seeks volunteers, 18 and over, to help maintain the Appalachian Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as part of the Smokies Wilderness Elite Appalachian Trail (S.W.E.A.T) Crew for the 2015 season. A position on the S.W.E.A.T. Crew is physically demanding and is designed for experienced hikers who love to work hard, live in the backcountry, and create...
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