Smoky Mountain Turkey Tail Mushrooms
Smoky Mountain Turkey Tail mushroom. Photo credit – Jennifer M
GSMNP Fall Volunteer Service Days Scheduled
GSMNP Fall Volunteer Service Days Scheduled. Great Smoky Mountains National Park invites the public to “Fall into Volunteerism with Smokies Service Days!” Several single-day volunteer opportunities across the park will be held Saturdays beginning October 24, 20230 through November 21, 2020. Each experience provides a unique, hands-on opportunity to help care for park campgrounds, historic buildings, and natural resources.
Continue reading…Rhododendron Festivals
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.
Cades Cove Car Ban
Cades Cove car ban is under way.
Cades Cove Car Ban began May 2019. Cades Cove Loop Road will be closed to motor vehicles from sunrise until 10:00 a.m. on both Wednesday and Saturday mornings to allow bicyclists, runners, and walkers time to enjoy the cove without having to worry about heavy traffic. This special experience on the 11-mile paved loop road will last until late September.
During the season, bicycles can be rented at the Cades Cove Campground Store. For
Cades Cove car ban allows you to take a break without all the noise and traffic.
pricing info, give them a call at 865.448.9034. Of course, you can bring your own bikes and helmets to enjoy the scenic ride through this historic landscape. Be mindful that Tennessee law requires cyclists under the age of 16 to wear a helmet. HeySmokies and the GSMNP recommend anyone of any age wear protective head gear…just sayin’!
You won’t find any mountain biking trails within the interior of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are only 3 trails in the National Park that allow bicycles:
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Gatlinburg Trail
Begins at Sugarlands Visitor Center and travels 1.9 miles one-way toward the outskirts of Gatlinburg along the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. Leashed pets are allowed on this trail.
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Oconaluftee River Trail
Begins at Oconaluftee Visitor Center and travels 1.5 miles one-way toward the outskirts of Cherokee along the Oconaluftee River. Leashed pets are allowed on this trail.
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Deep Creek and Indian Creek Trails
From the Deep Creek Campground, cyclists can access both Deep Creek and Indian Creek Trails. Bicycles areProng of the Little Pigeon River. Leashed pets are allowed on this trail. allowed on both trails until the point where the old roadbed ends and the hiking trails begin. Pets are not allowed on this trail.
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Bicycles are allowed on most roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so drivers need to be alert of cyclists when driving through the park. Due to the narrow, steep, curvy conditions of park roads the HeySmokies cycling team recommends avoiding biking park roads in the interest of the safety of all park visitors.
Bonus Biking Tip! – Tsali Recreation Area has over 40 miles of mountain bike trails with varying degrees of difficulty. Tsali is located on the Southern border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the southern shore of Fontana Lake near Bryson City, North Carolina.
For more information on bicycling in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and adjacent National Forests, please visit NPS.gov.
Take time to enjoy the quiet of the Cove and get a little exercise!
Smoky Mountain Visitors Centers Open MLK Weekend
Smoky Mountain visitors centers open for MLK holiday weekend
Smoky Mountain Visitors Centers Open MLK Weekend. Friends of the Smokies will temporarily fund the reopening of Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, N.C., Friday through Monday, Jan. 18-21, 2019.
Visitation to the park usually increases during these dates due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Both visitor centers will be open Friday 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Following the closure Monday evening, the two visitor centers will again close until federal funding is restored and the park fully reopens.
“We are proud to commit funding for the visitor centers and restrooms to reopen during the holiday weekend in order for rangers to provide a safe and enjoyable visitor experience,” Friends of the Smokies Executive Director Tim Chandler said. “Any opportunity to work with our partners to preserve and protect America’s most-visited national park is a welcome one, and Friends of the Smokies stands at the ready to provide further support.”
