Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced the 2017 spring opening schedule for park facilities. Here are a few key dates to remember:
Roads – Secondary Roads are scheduled to open as follows: Forge Creek Road opened on March 10; Clingmans Dome Road will open on April 1; Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and Round Bottom/Straight Fork Road will open April 7; Rich Mountain Road and...
Articles and information on hiking, outdoor adventures and the Great Smoky Mountains. For hiking trail information in the Smokies, please visit HikingintheSmokys.com
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Park Limits Access in Whiteoak Sink Area to Protect Declining Bat Populations
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials will reopen the Whiteoak Sink area with limited access effective April 1 through May 15 to limit human disturbance in critical bat habitat and help hikers avoid interactions with bats. Park biologists will continue monitoring bat populations near the site as they emerge from winter hibernacula to collect population, ecological, and behavioral data that...
Temporary Closures in Cherokee National Forest Due to Black Bear Activity
Thursday, March 23, 2017
U.S. Forest Service officials at the Cherokee National Forest announced that national forest lands within the corridor between the area known as Oliver Hollow north to Wilbur Dam are temporarily closed to public entry except for people hiking through on the Appalachian Trail. The closure is being implemented because of black bear activity in the area.
National forest lands within the corridor are...
Firefighters conducted burnout operations Monday afternoon to reduce fuels and buffer fire lines on the White Creek Fire. The fire, which was reported Thursday, is burning near Shortoff Mountain at the south end of Linville Gorge on the Grandfather Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest. The fire is now 1,365 acres and 20% contained.
Firefighters completed fireline preparation yesterday on the...
The White Creek Fire was reported at 4:00 pm Thursday and is burning near Shortoff Mountain at the south end of Linville Gorge, on the Grandfather Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest. The fire is estimated at 75 acres and 0% contained.
Last night, firefighters worked to re-establish firelines on the south end of the fire with the goal of protecting private property. The Linville Gorge has...
The U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recently hailed 331 million recreation visits to America’s national parks in 2016 – a third consecutive all-time attendance record for the National Park Service. Zinke made the announcement during a stop at Glacier National Park where he met with Park Superintendent Jeff Mow to discuss the park’s maintenance backlog and received a traditional...
The Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited park in the country. More than 10 million people visit the park each year to take-in the spectacular scenery. Although it may seem crowded during certain seasons, it’s very easy to escape the crowds by heading off on one of the more than 800 miles of trails. Here’s a quick rundown on why the Smokies are a hiker’s paradise.
Fall Colors
The Great Smoky...
The Blue Ridge Parkway is currently closed from Craggy Gardens Picnic Area (Milepost 367.5) to Mt. Mitchell State Park (Milepost 355.5) due to a rockslide. The slide occurred early Saturday evening when the parkway was open to traffic. No one was injured as a result of the incident.
Preliminary site assessments have revealed that due to the size of debris in the roadway and potential for additional...
Most visitors come to the Red River Gorge to enjoy its natural beauty and admire the towering rock features that extend across this scenic landscape. A few, however, come to deface and vandalize in moments what took Mother Nature centuries to create.
“The carving and spray painting of names and slogans on natural rock features in the gorge seems to be a growing problem,” said Tim Eling, Red River...
Parks Canada, in partnership with the University of Alberta, has recently announced the launch of Mountains 101, a free online series of courses that will provide a comprehensive overview of mountain studies. Mountains 101 was designed to inspire people around the world to learn and explore Canada’s mountain heritage, and to understand how Parks Canada protects, conserves and shares these special...
Appalachian Trail Conservancy Seeks Knowledgeable Instructors For New Outdoor Education Program
Thursday, March 2, 2017
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) recently announced the launch of its new Hiker Education Accreditation Program, which will certify qualified individuals to teach informational courses on hiking, backpacking, camping and sustainable outdoor practices. This program is designed to give Appalachian Trail (A.T.) hikers of all skill levels an opportunity to receive high-quality instruction about...
Wildfire Relief Funds Will Support Great Smokies Recovery Efforts
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
On Monday National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) presented a donation to the Friends of the Smokies to support ongoing local recovery efforts in the wake of wildfires that devastated Great Smoky Mountains National Park and surrounding communities in November.
Through a generous donation by NPCA Board of Trustees Vice Chair Greg Vital, NPCA was able to contribute $20,000 to Friends of the...
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