Great Smoky Mountains Fantastic Fall Foliage Forecasted

Fantastic Smoky Mountain Fall Foliage Forecast!

Fantastic Smoky Mountain Fall Foliage Forecast!

Great Smoky Mountains Fantastic Fall Foliage Forecasted. Leaf peeping is always a Smoky Mountain special event! A fantastic display of fall foliage is predicted for The Great Smoky Mountains and surrounding areas.

Experts expect Mother Nature to dance a fiery flamenco across the Smokies, flinging her cloak of many colors and blazing a trail through Tennessee and North Carolina. All this is due, in part, to the unusually warm and wet conditions experienced in the mountains from spring through mid-summer and closer to normal rainfall in late July, according to a quote by Beverly Collis, Western Carolina University’s autumnal analyzer and fall color calculator. Collins, a professor of biology at WCU, utilizes her knowledge of forest ecology with weather trends to calculate the potential for a color-filled leaf-peeping season in the Western portion of North Carolina where color can appear, in some species, such as sumac and sourwood, in early September. According to Collins the long-term forecast that extends through October calls for average precipitation and warmer –than normal temperatures, “and, if the forecast holds, we should have our typical bright colors this year,” Collins was quoted as saying.  However, color change is linked to cooler nights which result in less chlorophyll (green color) production in leaves, and Collins noted that if the forecast holds and those cooler nights are delayed, peak color might hold off until the last weekend of October in regions that are about 2,000 feet in elevations. And, Collins warned that big storms or a hurricane, which might send strong winds and heavy rains inland, could strip the leaves off the trees ahead of schedule.

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Mountains To Sea Trail Celebrates 42nd Anniversary

The mountains so sea trail (MST) begins at the iconic Clingmans Dome observation tower.

The mountains so sea trail (MST) begins at the iconic Clingmans Dome observation tower.

Mountains To Sea Trail Celebrates 42nd Anniversary. The 42nd anniversary of North Carolina’s the Mountains-to-Sea Trail celebrates with some 33 planned group hikes.

Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail invite interested parties, of all skill levels, to participate in one of 33 group hikes in 27 trail towns across the North Carolina beginning Friday, Sept. 6 through Sunday, Sept. 8. Hikers (or walkers) can choose any of one -12 mile hikes which traverse all types of terrain (rated from easy to strenuous) scheduled from Cherokee to Nags Head. Hikers can opt for the closest trail or venture to another area of North Carolina and explore.

Chuck Millsaps, president of the Great Outdoor Provision Co., the exclusive sponsor of the MST Birthday Hike, was quoted as saying, “We are thrilled to see so many communities hosting hikes across the state as we celebrate the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Its fun to send folks out on the trail then hear their hike stories the next time they stop by.” Great Outdoor Provision Co. is a North Carolina-based outdoor equipment and clothing retailer, with nine stores across the area.

 According to Wikipedia, this long-distance hiking and backpacking trail, established in 1977, will connect the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks by weaving a thread of interconnected trails. A little more than half the trail is complete in multiple segments across the state. Sometime, in the near future, you can step on MST at Clingman’s Dome and many, many miles later dip your weary toes into the waters of North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

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Smokey Bear Turns 75

We all love Smokey Bear. Photo credit: adweek

We all love Smokey Bear. Photo credit: adweek

Smokey Bear Turns 75. This year marks Smokey’s 75th year that he has cautioned Americans about the dangers of wild fires. Smokey Bear’s iconic first poster, depicting a brown bear, clad in jeans and a wide-brimmed forest ranger hat, debuted on Aug. 9, 1944.

It was later that a real life counterpart would “bear” the same name serving both as a living symbol and a cautionary tale.

According the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute,  in the 1950’s a badly burned bear cub was found clinging to a charred tree after a forest fire in New Mexico’s Lincoln National Forest. Nicknamed Smokey by firefighters, the orphaned cub was treated for his injuries and then flown to the Smithsonian National Zoo where he would live and serve as a reminder for wildfire prevention and conservation for 26 years until his death in 1976. When Smokey’s plane touched down at the nation’s capital airport literally hundreds of reporters, photographers and onlookers were on hand to chronicle his arrival and help spread his fame.  Millions of fans visited the famous bear during his lifetime, and sent him thousands of letters, and more than a few jars of honey. Smokey received so much mail that the US Postal Service provided him his own special zipcode-20252.

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Biltmore Gardens Railway

Biltmore gardens railway is fun for the entire family!

Biltmore gardens railway is fun for the entire family! Photo credit: Biltmore Estate.

Biltmore Gardens Railway is on display at Biltmore Estate from May 24, 2019 through September 29, 2019. For a limited time, in the Conservatory and at Antler Hill Village & Winery, enjoy beautifully executed botanical model train displays! These displays features a variety of Biltmore area structures, each handcrafted in meticulous detail from such all-natural elements as leaves, bark, and twigs. With 800 feet of rails and trains traversing six separate lines at different eye levels, this is a one-of-a-kind, fun-for-all-ages garden experience. The model train experience is included with the price of admission to Biltmore Estate.

Biltmore Estate is nestled in Asheville, North Carolina in the foothills of the beautiful Pisgah National Forest. The largest private residence in the United States has long been referred to as America’s Castle. The sprawling estate includes tours of the historic mansion and the extensive garden designs by famed architect Fredrick Law Ohmsted.

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Rhododendron Festivals

Grandfather Mountain Rhododendron Festival

Late spring and early summer is the time for Rhododendron festivals.

Rhododendron Festivals at Roan Mountain and Grandfather Mountain herald the beginning of summer. Roan Mountain and Mother Nature team up to showcase Rhododendron blossoms in the highlands.

Roan Mountain has wowed visitors with its annual Rhododendron Festival for 60 years, and this year’s event, slated Saturday-Sunday, June 22-23, 2019, is no exception. Join visitors from all over the country and enjoy a spectacular walk through the world’s largest natural rhododendron gardens atop 6000 ft. Roan Mountain.  The rhododendron gardens are located in a Canadian temperate zone which is the perfect climate for this showiest of native plants. Hundreds of bushes, each of which might produce more than 100 clusters of flowers, cover the mountain.  Roan is the highpoint of the Roan-Unaka range of the southern Appalachian Mountains, and is also home to the largest stretch of grassy balds (Grassy Ridge, a type of highland meadow characterized by thick native grasses, shrubs, and few trees) in the Appalachian range. The Cherokee National forest and Pisgah National forest converge atop the mountain and Roan Mountain State Park is located near its northern base.

The Appalachian Trail wanders for most of Roan’s Crest which is home to Roan’s High Knob Shelter, the highest backcountry shelter on the entire 2,174-mile trail. Roan Mountain comprises the greater part of Roan Highlands which stretches from Big Rock Creek in the west to U.S. Route 19 in the east.

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