The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog: February 2020

TN State Parks Seeks Volunteers For Annual Weed Wrangle March 7

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Tennessee State Parks and community partners are seeking volunteers to help rid the parks and State Natural Areas of invasive species with the annual Weed Wrangle on Saturday, March 7. Most of the state parks and the Sequatchie Cave State Natural Area are participating. The Weed Wrangle is part of a national effort to remove invasive plants from public spaces. State and community experts in invasive...

Cades Cove Reopens Following Tunnel Work

Friday, February 28, 2020

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that Cades Cove will reopen on Saturday, February 29, following a two-month closure for tunnel repairs. Bryant’s Land and Development Industries Inc. of Burnsville, NC finished the $950,000 Bote Mountain Tunnel repair along Laurel Creek Road ahead of schedule, allowing the popular area to reopen in time for the first full weekend of the Spring...

National Park Visitation Tops 327 Million in 2019

Friday, February 28, 2020

America’s national parks continue to be popular destinations. Visitation to national parks in 2019 exceeded 300 million recreation visits for the fifth consecutive year. The 327.5 million total is the third highest since record keeping began in 1904. “The numbers once again affirm that Americans and visitors from around the world love the natural, cultural and historic experience provided by...

The Historic Circle Tours of Glacier National Park

Thursday, February 27, 2020

The following is an adaptation from my book, Ramble On: A History of Hiking: Almost immediately after Glacier was established as a national park, Louis W. Hill, president of the Great Northern Railway, began building a series of hotels, chalets and tent camps throughout the park. The buildings were modeled on traditional Swiss architecture, and were part of Hill's strategy to portray Glacier as...

What happened to the old Logan Pass Trail?

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

I recently finished reading Switchback, a book by William Yenne that chronicles his time working as a packer in Glacier National Park and the surrounding national forests during the 1920s and 30s. In the book he mentioned the Logan Pass Trail a couple of times, which piqued my curiosity as to where the old route tracked, and why it faded from existence. During the early years of the park the trail...

Smokies is Recruiting Volunteers for Mingus Mill

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to provide orientation and historic information to visitors at Mingus Mill, located one half mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, North Carolina. Volunteers will work alongside millers to help educate visitors about the general role of milling in the Smokies, including the unique turbine wheel at Mingus Mill. Mingus...

Big South Fork Recording a 2020 Rain Event to Remember with Stream Gauges

Monday, February 24, 2020

The unusual weather event that occurred between February 4-6, 2020, left roughly seven inches of rain on Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, and the park’s four stream gauges were working hard to record the flow resulting from the precipitation. The gauge on the South Fork Cumberland River at Leatherwood Ford, Tennessee recorded a peak flow at 1:00 PM on 2/06/2020 at 74,200 cubic...

Smokies Recruits ‘Adopt-a-Plot’ Volunteers

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers are recruiting volunteers to adopt a monitoring plot in areas throughout the park. In an effort to track nature’s calendar, or phenology, volunteers will collect information as part of an important research project tracking seasonal biological data such as plant flowering dates and changes in tree canopy foliage. Previous experience is not necessary...

New eBook provides hikers with trail information while hiking in Glacier National Park

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Are you planning to visit Glacier National Park this summer - or anytime down the road? I wanted to let you know that I just published a new eBook that provides hikers with access to detailed trail information while hiking in the park. Exploring Glacier National Park is the mobile version of HikinginGlacier.com, the most comprehensive website on the internet for hiking trail information in Glacier...

Smokies Recruits Volunteers for Clingmans Dome

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

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,...

USDA Forest Service seeks help to expand access to national forests and grassland areas

Monday, February 17, 2020

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is seeking public assistance to help identify national forest and grassland areas where the agency can provide greater access to hunting, fishing, and other recreational opportunities. The agency today posted a draft list of about 90,000 acres of Forest Service land where hunters, anglers, and other recreationists are allowed but have limited or...

Funding Needed for McAfee Knob Trailhead Project to Improve Public Safety and Visitor Experience

Friday, February 14, 2020

One of the most iconic locations along the 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail (A.T.), McAfee Knob has become one of Central Virginia’s most defining — and most visited — landmarks. Approximately 45,000 people visit McAfee Knob each year, often overflowing the trailhead’s small parking lot on the opposite side of the heavily trafficked Route 311. In order to address parking difficulties and minimize risks...

USDA Forest Service announces challenge to increase focus on problems facing nation’s largest public trail system

Thursday, February 13, 2020

USDA Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen emphasized the need to find innovative ideas to tackle the nearly $300 million maintenance backlog on the nation’s largest public trail system. Christiansen called on individuals and organizations to work with the agency to address trail maintenance and sustainability to improve access, keep people safe, and support local economies. “In 2019, organizations...

Smokies Announces Paving Project in Deep Creek Area

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that a $1.15 million pavement preservation project will begin on Monday, March 2 in the Deep Creek area near Bryson City, NC. Paving will occur along 2.5 miles of area roadways including West Deep Creek Road, East Deep Creek Road, campground and picnic area roads, and day-use parking areas. Work is expected to be completed by Friday, May 15,...

Crews Begin Clearing Mudslide on Spur

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Federal Highways Administration staff assessed the mudslide on the Spur this morning and began clearing operations. The mudslide contains an estimated 500 cubic yards of material in a pile approximately 100 feet in length and 70 feet high covering both lanes of the northbound Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Staff estimate that the removal will require...

President Proposes $2.8 Billion FY21 Budget for National Park Service

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

President Trump has proposed a $2.8 billion Fiscal Year 2021 budget for the National Park Service (NPS) prioritizing core mission capacity, increasing recreational and public access and infrastructure improvement. The Public Lands Infrastructure Fund would help address billions of dollars’ worth of backlogged maintenance, including structures, trails, roads, and utility systems across the Departments...

Mount LeConte Records 7 Inches of Rain Yesterday!

Friday, February 7, 2020

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park posted this on their Facebook page a short while ago: As these photos show, weather in the Smokies can be extreme and fast-changing! Yesterday, we saw rainfall totals ranging from 5.09 inches at Park Headquarters to 7.04 inches at Mount LeConte. Today, snow has been softly falling all morning at Park Headquarters, and Mount LeConte had around 4 inches...

Park Facilities Closed Due to Inclement Weather

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that Sugarlands Visitor Center, Oconaluftee Visitor Center, and Elkmont Campground will be closed for the remainder of today, February 6, 2020, due to inclement weather throughout the region. At this time, the following park roads are closed due to high waters and debris along the roadways: Little River Road from Laurel Falls Trail to the...

Flash Flood Watch Issued for Smoky Mountains Region

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

If you're in the Smokies, or planning to visit over the next few days, please be aware of the following bulletins from the National Weather Service. Also keep in mind that streams throughout the park will be well above average flows for the next several days. In additions to the flash flood warnings, the National Weather Service is also warning about the possibility of tornadoes tomorrow, and snow...

Construction Begins on Appalachian Trail Center in Downtown Damascus

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Yesterday morning, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and its partners broke ground on the construction of a new Appalachian Trail (A.T.) Center in Damascus, Virginia. This Center will introduce visitors to a variety of helpful information about the A.T. and outdoor recreation in the area, including suggestions for planning hikes and ways to get involved in conservation. “Damascus has long...

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