October 14, 2008
Fall Open House for Unopened Section of Foothills Parkway
The Foothills Parkway in Blount County, TN will be temporarily opened during the weekend of October 18-19, 2008, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

October 03, 2008
Students Encouraged to Research National Park for National History Day
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is inviting middle and high school students in Tennessee and North Carolina to help celebrate its upcoming 75th Anniversary by participating in National History Day 2009 and spotlighting an important historical figure of the Park.

October 03, 2008
Park Announces Dolly Parton as 75th Anniversary Ambassador
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent has announced that Dolly Parton has agreed to serve as the Ambassador during the Park’s celebration of its 75th Anniversary.

September 23, 2008
Concession Contract Awarded for Cades Cove Riding Stables
National Park Service Southeast Regional Director David Vela has announced that National and State Park Concessions Riding Stables, Inc. has been selected to operate the Cades Cove Riding Stables under the terms of a new 7-year concession contract, effective January 1, 2009.

September 23, 2008
Civilian Conservation Corps Anniversary Event
In honor of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced a special day of commemorative activities on Saturday, September 27. The day’s events will take place in and around the Sugarlands Visitor Center starting at 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. All the activities are free to the public.

September 23, 2008
Prospectus Issued for Elkmont Campground Concession
On September 22, the Southeast Regional Office of the National Park Service (NPS) issued a prospectus seeking proposals for a new 10-year concessions contract to provide miscellaneous services at Elkmont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

September 23, 2008
Updates on Horse Rental Operations in Park
The Sugarlands Riding Stables in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just inside the park’s Gatlinburg, Tenn. entrance, has reopened. In addition, Smokemont Riding Stables, the only stable in North Carolina, is now offering horse-drawn wagon rides.

September 23, 2008
Foothills Parkway Construction Resumes
The next phase of construction of the Foothills Parkway "Missing Link" in Blount County, Tenn., will begin on Monday, September 22. Over the next eight months a contractor will construct 1,200 feet of new roadway which will run westward from the end of the partly-finished Parkway segment off U.S. 321 in Wears Valley.

September 15, 2008
Spur Paving Work Schedule for September and October
The final phase of repaving on the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge Spur (U.S. 441) will begin on Monday, September 15. From then until Friday, October 10 motorists can expect single lane closures anytime from Monday mornings through noon each Friday.

August 26, 2008
Temporary Closure of Sparks Lane in Cades Cove
Great Smoky Mountains National Park managers are advising visitors that Sparks Lane, a gravel roadway that cuts across the middle of Cades Cove, will be closed from Tuesday, September 2 through October 8 to allow for replacement of culverts and to improve fish habitat.

July 18, 2008
Air Pollution Advisory Issued for Smokies 7/18/08
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials issued an air pollution advisory that the levels of ozone pollution at the park are have reached a level that poses a threat to the health of park visitors and are expected to remain high throughout the day and tomorrow as well.

July 08, 2008
Trout Unlimited Donates $14,000 for Brook Trout Restoration
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Fisheries Biologists got a big boost last week in their efforts to restore native brook trout to a Park stream in the form of a $14,000 donation from the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

June 26, 2008
Toyota's Million Dollar Donation Enhances Environmental Education
Toyota and Great Smoky Mountains National Park have partnered to foster environmental education through Toyota’s contribution of $1 million and three hybrid vehicles to America’s most visited national park.

June 24, 2008
Smokies Rolls Out Two Zero-Emission Vehicles
Park operations in Deep Creek Campground and at Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina got a little cleaner and a little quieter this month with the addition of two new donated electric vehicles.

June 17, 2008
Smokies Launches Global Climate Educational Initiative
Great Smoky Mountains National Park launched a new "Do Your Part!" initiative aimed at educating visitors about measures that they can take, in the park and at home, to reduce their contributions to global warming.

June 13, 2008
75th Anniversary Website
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is celebrating a major milestone in 2009—the 75th Anniversary of its establishment on June 15, 1934. An interactive website that will give online viewers a virtual tour of the planned activities, an opportunity for visitors to share photos and stories of their experiences in the park, and a variety of information related to the 75th is now operational.

June 04, 2008
Smokies Begins Sampling for Emerald Ash Borer Beetles
Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have begun asking about some strange-looking bright purple triangular objects hanging in trees near the park’s campgrounds and picnic areas. They may resemble Japanese lanterns, but these are actually beetle traps the park is using to detect the arrival of a new, non-native insect pest, the emerald ash borer.

May 05, 2008
International Bird Conservation Programs Highlighted
To highlight International Migratory Bird Day the park will hold two days of public events. Starting at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 15, at the Sugarlands Visitor Center in Tenn., and on Saturday, May 17, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in N.C., a park biologist will set up mist nets to demonstrate how the nets are used to carefully capture birds, measure, and band them for release at research stations. There will also be short guided bird walks.

April 23, 2008
Park Releases Oconaluftee Environmental Assessment
Officials at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are seeking public input on an Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding a proposal to construct a new visitor center, restrooms, and an information kiosk in the Oconaluftee area of the Park, near Cherokee, N.C. Under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Park is inviting public comment on the proposed facilities during a 30-day public review process that will end on May 27, 2008.

November 02, 2007
Spur Road Rehabilitation Work Scheduled
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced the work schedule for the rehabilitation project of the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Spur (U.S. 441), contracted and administered by the Federal Highway Administration. The project will begin on November 5, 2007, and is scheduled to be completed by March 3, 2009.