Guided hike to Spruce Flats Falls

Guided hike to Spruce Flats Falls

Thursday, June 30, 2011

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In the latest edition of The Cub Report, the Great Smoky Mountains Association announced that they will be offering an educational hike to Spruce Flats Falls with former Great Smoky Mountains at Tremont teacher/naturalist Mike Matzko on Saturday, July 9th.

This beautiful little known gem of the Smokies is located in the Tremont area of the park, and consists of four cascades making up a 125 foot drop and a 320 foot run. A large plunge pool holds the water prior to it falling down to the Middle Prong of Little River.

This region of the park was also one of the last logged by Little River Lumber Company.

It's a 2-mile roundtrip, moderate hike. Wear good hiking boots, bring rain gear, water, and a light lunch to enjoy at the falls. Meet at 10:00 am in front of the Tremont office.

Participation is limited to 20 with a registration fee of $10 per adult. Children 12 and under are free. To register call 865-436-7318, Ext. 222 or 254.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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100th native tree discovered in Smokies

100th native tree discovered in Smokies

Thursday, October 29, 2009

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Yesterday I received the Cub Report in my email box. This is the monthly E-newsletter from the Great Smoky Mountains Association. The report announced that a new species of tree was recently discovered in the park. Here’s their report:

Park rangers have just discovered the 100th species of tree native to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's a Hop Tree, sometimes called Wafer Ash. Its Latin name is Ptelea trifoliata.

This small tree or shrub of the citrus family has a straight trunk, rarely grows taller than 20 feet, and is a host for Giant Swallowtails and Tiger Swallowtails.

It is found from Canada to Florida, but is nowhere abundant. The name is derived from the fact that its fruit was once believed to be a viable substitute for hops in beer making. The oddball arbor's other claim to fame is that its bark and flowers both have a foul smell.

Besides raising the tally on park biodiversity, it's also a welcome relief for park interpreters and scribes for whom stating "99 species of native trees live in the park," always seemed awkward and slightly inadequate.

The hop trees were discovered on property recently added to the park in a land swap involving TVA and other entities. They are located on the extreme west end near Calderwood Lake and Highway 129.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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Mt. Collins Shelter Gets a Makeover

Mt. Collins Shelter Gets a Makeover

Monday, October 5, 2009

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Last week I received "The Cub Report", the monthly e-newsletter from the Great Smoky Mountains Association. One of the articles explained that volunteers from Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail Conference remodel one Smokies trail shelter each year. This year's project was the Mt. Collins Shelter, located on the Sugarland Mountain Trail, just off the Appalachian Trail about half-way between Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap.

Improvements usually include adding skylights and covered porches with benches for sitting. Shelters that have already had "makeovers" include Davenport Gap, Cosby Knob, Tricorner Knob, Pecks Corner, Silers Bald, Derrick Knob, and Spence Field.

Here's a photo of the Mt. Collins Shelter earlier this summer, before any improvements were made:

I don't have a photo of the improved shelter (I assume the makeover is complete by now), but here's a photo of the rehabbed Davenport Gap Shelter:


A bit of a difference.... By the way, the Mt. Collins Shelter still has a posted bear warning, as it has for quite some time now.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

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