Karen Pence Gets Outside Smoky Mountain Style

May 7, 2020
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GSMNP Superintendent Cassius Cash welcomes dignitariies. Photo credit - GSMNP — GSMNP Superintendent Cassius Cash welcomes dignitariies. Photo credit – GSMNP

Karen Pence gets outside Smoky Mountain Style. Second Lady Karen Pence and Deputy Secretary of the Interior Katherine MacGregor met with park officials at Clingmans Dome recently to talk about the mental health benefits of being outdoors as the next phase in the park’s plan to restore public access to more roads and picnic areas was announced.

Karen Pence opens Clingmmans Dome. Photo credit – GSMNP

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgent need for us to pay closer attention to our mental health and emotional well-being,” said Second Lady Karen Pence. “Our amazing national parks offer many mental health benefits and more than ever before, we must ensure that we are taking care of ourselves and each other.”

Smoky Mountain Eastern Spotted Skunk

April 14, 2020
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Eastern spotted skunks and their stinky dance are quite a show. Photo credit – National Wildlife Federation

Smoky Mountain Eastern Spotted Skunks give fair warning and provide some interesting acrobatics just before sending out a cloud of noxious spray. When frightened, or angered, the Eastern Spotted Skunk engages in unique behaviors that serves as either a bluff or a warning just prior to discharging a very unwelcome aromatic spritz. This species, the smaller of the two skunks that make their home in the park, will stomp its front feet in rapid succession on the ground. Perhaps, even more unusual, the skunk may also perform a handstand on its front feet and walk while holding its tail in the air just before aiming and spraying. So, if you encounter either of these behaviors, you have had been forewarned!

Watch out for the spotted skunk when you visit the Smokies! Photo credit – KWCH

Eastern Spotted Skunks are nocturnal and active year-round. Excellent climbers, these skunks are more agile and alert than their striped counterparts, and feed primarily on small mammals, fruits, insects, birds, lizards, snakes, and carrion. The breed is easily distinguished from its Pepe LePew-looking cousin. Weighing in at under three pounds, it has black silky fur, a white triangular spot on the forehead, a white spot under each ear, and four to six undulating white stripes along the neck, back, and sides. White patches are also present on the rump, and a bushy 6-8-inch tail sports a broad white tip. Hunters often trap the species for its’ unique fur. The Eastern Spotted Skunk’s range includes Northeastern Mexico through the Great Plains to the Canadian border, and the Southeastern United States north to Pennsylvania.

Dollywood Cades Cove Expansion Breaks Ground

April 1, 2020
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The new Dollywood Cades Cove expansion promises to quadruple park attendance.

Dollywood Cades Cove Expansion Breaks Ground. Smoky Mountain officials announced today the expansion of the popular theme park has begun. The project has not been without controversy. Locals and visitors have expressed outrage but the lack of support for the protest movement and the recent park closure due to the COVID-19 virus cleared the way for the work to begin.

The Grand Parton will be the worlds fastest rollercoaster!

The new addition to the Smokies will include the longest and fastest roller coaster in North America. Dubbed the “Grand Parton,” the coaster will exceed 325 miles per hour. Three tunnels will be constructed for the coaster to pass through the mountains. Abrams Creek will be rerouted to the newer and taller Abrams Falls. The new falls will accommodate the new “River Wild Rampage” ride plunging visitors over six hundred feet into a large holding pond.

The new and improved Cades Cove grist mill experience will showcase tubing!

“We knew parking would be a big problem in Cades Cove for the millions of new visitors but after serious thought we were able to solve that issue,” said park official O. Howie Lyes. “We gained the rights to 700 acres of park land to log. Once the trees were gone we were ready to park cars. We were even able to use the lumber we harvested to help construct the new roller coaster! Everything worked out great.“

This expansion will not be the first time a national park has also doubled as a theme park. Who will forget the short-lived Niagra Falls tubing extravaganza or the Grand Canyon chutes and ladders park. Visitors will no doubt have strong opinions about the theme park but we can’t wait to ride the new rollercoaster!

Smoky Mountain Elk Rut

November 18, 2019
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Elk in Cataloochee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Smoky Mountain Elk Rut is heating up in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.The fall mating season begins each year around mid-September and is known as the rut. And it’s during this time that male elk, or bulls, are energized and ready for action. They make bugle calls to attract the females, or cows, and to challenge other males.

Elk are the largest animals in GSM National Park. Yes, they are larger than black bears! Bulls can weigh between 600 to 700 pounds and up to 10 feet long. Cows weigh around 500 pounds.

One of the best places to see elk in the Smokies are on the North Carolina side of the National Park in the Cataloochee Valley. The elk regularly cross the mountains out of Cataloochee and are often seen in Big Creek, and in the fields near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center just outside of Cherokee.

Smoky Mountain Elk Rut is is heating up. Photo credit – Lori’s Outdoor Photography

The best time of day to see the elk is usually at sunrise or the last hour before sunset. During the fall rut, visitors are not allowed to walk in the fields even when the elk aren’t present. The fields are the gathering place for the bulls and their harems of cows to breed, so the males are quite agressive and can mistake you or your vehicle as a threat. They will charge and it can get ugly. Be aware and be sure to keep a distance of at least 50 yards at all times for your safety and theirs. Stay on the roadside and be sure to bring binoculars or a spotting scope and use your telephoto lens on your camera.

Elk once flourished in the Smokies and the rest of the southern Appalachian Mountains but were hunted to extinction by the mid-1800’s in Tennessee. The reintroduction of the majestic animals began in 2001 with 25 elk imported from the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area on the Kentucky/Tennessee line. In 2002, another 27 elk were brought into Cataloochee Valley. Reports say there may be up to 200 elk in park currently. A success story indeed!

Elk are vegetarians and love the grasses found in the bottom land of the valleys. With winter coming on, elk grow a second coat of fur with long hairs on top to repel snow and water to stay dry. They have a plush underfur to stay warm. For more information on elk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, visit GSMNP.