April 23, 2009
Musical Performance at Cades CoveEllie Grace, a singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, will entertain visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m. The performance will take place at Cades Cove in the auditorium next to the campground.
April 22, 2009
Clingmans Dome Road Closure
Clingmans Dome Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed to visitor use starting at 7 p.m. on April 23 to 5 p.m. on April 24. The Clingmans Dome Road is a 7 mile spur road off of Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441).
April 17, 2009
Wildflower Pilgrimage Offers a Unique National Park Experience
The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is scheduled April 22-26, 2009, and consists of a variety of outdoor and indoor programs. The daily venues that cover over 150 wildflower and wildlife walks, talks, and photographic tours in the park.
April 14, 2009
National Junior Ranger Day Programs
Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate the third annual National Junior Ranger Day on Saturday, April 25, with special activities at the park’s three visitor centers from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
April 03, 2009
New Facilities at Sugarlands Riding Stables
New concession facilities at the Sugarlands Riding Stables near Gatlinburg, TN, will be dedicated during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 9 at 11:00 a.m. The public is invited to attend and tour the new buildings which have a number of innovative features.
March 17, 2009
Music of the Mountains Public Concerts
Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the City of Gatlinburg have announced the "Music of the Mountains" program on Saturday, March 28, 2009, a jointly-sponsored event that celebrates the national park’s 75th anniversary with southern Appalachian music.
March 06, 2009
Park Seeking High School Students for Paid Summer Internships
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now recruiting high school students in North Carolina for its summer internship program, starting June 22 through July 31.
December 30, 2008
Forge Creek Road Closes for the Winter
Managers at Great Smoky Mountains National have announced that the Forge Creek Road, which extends from the park’s Cable Mill Visitor Center in Cades Cove to the Gregory Ridge Trailhead, has been closed until mid-March.
November 12, 2008
Smokies Sets Public Briefing on Cades Cove Road Paving Plans
Great Smoky Mountains National Park managers are offering a presentation on the alternative schedules and construction phases that the park is considering to repave the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road in early 2010. The presentation will run from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 13 at the Townsend Heritage Center.
November 12, 2008
Youth Group Takes Part in the Trails Forever Program
Volunteers from the Maryville Housing Authority’s Youth Outdoor Recreation Program in Blount County, Tenn., responded to a call to assist Great Smoky Mountains National Park in improving trails during “Make a Difference Day” on October 25, the nation’s largest single day of volunteerism.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
April 11, 2008
Elk Bugle Corp Volunteer Recruitment
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Volunteers-in-Parks program is currently enlisting another round of volunteers to assist with the experimental elk reintroduction project in Cataloochee Valley, N.C.
April 11, 2008
Trout Unlimited River Cleanup
Two local chapters of Trout Unlimited, a leading trout conservation organization, are sponsoring litter cleanup volunteer efforts with a complimentary lunch in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They are scheduled on two Saturdays in April in the Tennessee and North Carolina areas of the Park. Volunteers are being recruited to join members of Trout Unlimited to help pick up litter on April 12 along the Little River in Tennessee with the Little River Chapter and on April 26 along the Oconaluftee River in North Carolina with the Tuskaseigee Chapter.
March 06, 2008
Park Recruiting High School Students for Paid Summer Internships
The Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now recruiting high school students for its summer internship program for 2008. The program is made possible through a 3-year, $138,600 grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to Friends of the Smokies, a non-profit organization that supports conservation, education, and other Park priorities.
January 16, 2008
North Shore Road Record of Decision Available for Review
The National Park Service announced its Record of Decision on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the North Shore Road in December 2007 calling for a monetary settlement to Swain County, North Carolina. The Record of Decision is now available for review at several locations.
January 03, 2008
Smokies Receives Equipment Donation from ORVIS
Fisheries managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently accepted a $5,000 assortment of waders and wading shoes from the ORVIS Corporation.
January 02, 2008
Monetary Settlement to Resolve North Shore Road Issue
On December 28, 2007 Paul Anderson, the Acting Southeast Regional Director of the National Park Service, signed a Record of Decision that officially calls for a monetary settlement to Swain County, North Carolina as the conclusion to the Environmental Impact Statement process at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
October 03, 2007
Smokies Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement on North Shore Road
Officials from the National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have released a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) which outlines the Agency’s Preferred Alternative for the North Shore Road.
June 28, 2007
Park Unveils New Junior Ranger Books and Summer Program Schedule
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in cooperation with Great Smoky Mountains Association, is unveiling four new Junior Ranger activity booklets for children who want to become Junior Rangers this summer. The booklets are designed to better serve a variety of targeted age groups: 5 to 6, 7 to 8, 9 to 10, and 11 to 12.
June 28, 2007
Park Issues Decision Following Brook Trout Assessment
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson announced today the approval of the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) signaling completion of the Final Environmental Assessment for Opening of the Brook Trout Fishery for Recreational Use. The FONSI was signed on June 11, 2007, and culminates nearly a year of planning in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
January 30, 2007
Smokies Announce New Reservation System
Starting February 7 campers planning a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and many other federally-managed recreation areas will be able to make their campsite reservations on-line at www.Recreation.Gov and by phone toll-free at 1-877-444-6777 up to six months before their arrival.
September 18, 2006
New Guidelines For Wedding Permits Developed
Park officials have developed new guidelines for managing weddings and wedding related activities in the national park to avoid conflicts between wedding parties and the general public and to reduce potential impacts to park resources.
July 19, 2006
Donation Supports Student Interns
Students from four North Carolina high schools have been selected to work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this summer thanks to a 3-year, $162,200 grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to Friends of the Smokies.
March 28, 2006
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Environmental Assessment Approved
In August 2005 the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepared and distributed for public input an Environmental Assessment (EA) on the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) management strategies for reducing the insect’s impact on forest resources.
March 21, 2006
Park Opens Streams to Brook Trout Fishing
For the first time in over 30 years anglers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be allowed to catch and keep brook trout under new experimental Park fishing regulations that take affect April 15, 2006
