Happy Halloween 2016 from HeySmokies! We’ve Scared Up Some Fun in Great Smoky Mountains!
Autumn Ambles in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Enjoy a Fall Hike with a GSMNP Ranger!
Take an Autumn Amble with a Great Smoky Mountains National Park Ranger on Thursdays and Saturdays this October! This new, free Ranger Program is from 9:00 to 11:30 with locations dependent of where the best fall color is. About four days before each scheduled program, rangers will decide where the group will hike.
Take an Autumn Amble on Thursdays and Saturdays in October!
“We’ll try to follow the leaves,” says GSMNP Ranger Andrea Walton, “This is a really good program to see the fall colors and learn about what the animals are doing to prepare for winter…and what the people who lived here used to do to prepare for winter.”
Pre-registration is required to participate in an Autumn Amble. Reservations can be made up to four days in advance by calling 865-436-1291. Programs are limited to 20 people. Participants must have sturdy walking shoes, water and snacks for this moderate hike.
For more information on other great Ranger Programs, visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Bearly 5K Run/Walk at Appalachian Bear Rescue’s Visitor Center in Townsend on October 29th
Lace up your shoes for the Bearly 5K Run/Walk at the Appalachian Bear Rescue Visitor and Education Center in Townsend on Saturday, October 29, 2016. Get into the spirit of the season and wear your Halloween costume or just come as you are for day of fun for the bears! There will be a special prize for the best dressed runner!
Bearly 5K is your chance to help save orphaned bear cubs.
The event begins at 10:00 a.m. with on-site registration at $45 per person. Register before October 15, 2016 and receive an early bird discount for $35 per person. Participants will receive a special Bearly 5K Run/Walk T-Shirt and Pancake Breakfast following the walk! The Bearly 5K Run/Walk is not a timed event; however, the first three runners to cross the finish line will receive a special prize from Appalachian Bear Rescue! Register online at ABR Bearly 5K Run/Walk or call 865-448-0143.
Be sure to visit the Open House until 4:00 p.m. and learn all about the exciting work of Appalachian Bear Rescue. They have great gift items for purchase for the upcoming holidays! And you’ll want get your raffle tickets for ABR’s Annual Raffle!
Proceeds from the Bearly 5K Run/Walk benefit Appalachian Bear Rescue in Townsend, TN. For 20 years, ABR’s mssion has been to care for orphaned and injured black bear cubs for return to their natural wild habitat and increase public awareness about coexisting with black bears. For more information, visit Appalachian Bear Rescue and stay in touch with them at ABR on Facebook.
Hillside Winery Hosts 2 “Pink” Events in October! Drink Pink and Fight Breast Cancer!
Hillside Winery in Sevierville will host two “Pink” events in October! Join us and Drink Pink to fight breast cancer! There’s a Wine & Paint Party on the Patio on October 18, 2016 and then on October 22, 2016 it’s the 8th Annual STOMP OUT Breast Cancer Winery Walk with the Rocky Top Wine Trail.
Join local artist Pinkie Mistry for a fun, fall evening at Hillside Winery for a Wine & Paint Party on the Patio from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 18th. This is the second year that Pinkie’s designed the special series of PINK wine labels for Rocky Top Wine Trail’s wineries. As the creative force behind Designs by Pinkie, she’s created a special butterfly painting for this inaugural Wine & Paint Party and will share techniques for you to paint your own fabulous creation. Tickets for the Wine & Paint Party are $35 per person; includes all paints and supplies along with a pink sparkling wine and small bites. Seating is limited so reserve your spot today! Register online at Wine & Paint Party with Pinkie. Bottles of Hillside Winery’s new, limited edition 2016 Pink Sparkling Cranberry Wine will be available for purchase; for each bottle purchased, $5 will benefit American Cancer Society (ACS). Proceeds from the Wine & Paint Party benefit ACS’ Sevier County Relay for Life.
The 8th Annual STOMP OUT Breast Cancer Winery Walk will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2016 beginning at 9:00 a.m. with registration at Hillside Winery. Walkers will depart at 9:30 a.m. for a scenic walk to Apple Barn Winery to enjoy apple cider, apple doughnuts, and some good old-fashioned apple bobbing! Here you’ll be able to enjoy Apple Barn Winery’s new, limited edition 2016 Pink Muscadine Blend along with other vinos found on their tasting menu.
From there, the next stop on trail is is Mountain Valley Winery in Pigeon Forge for some good ol’
fashioned grape stompin’ just like Lucy and Ethel used to do! Here you’ll also enjoy snacks and Mountain Valley Winery’s new, limited edition 2016 Pink Strawberry Wine among others.
The final leg of the trail leads back to Hillside Winery for a mouth-watering lunch from Corky’s BBQ and more wine. Local cloggers will entertain while you shop for great items at a silent auction. Each registered walker will receive a back pack full of goodies, STOMP wine glass, water bottle, and wine trail passport. With door prizes and more, this is a great event to gather your friends and enjoy the day STOMPing OUT breast cancer!
Registration for the STOMP OUT Breast Cancer Wine Trail Walk is $25 per person. Register online at Hillside Winery. For more information, call 865-389-9490.
Stuck in a Rut this Fall? Come to the Smokies because our Elk are too! Here’s all you Need to Know about Elk Viewing in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Are you stuck in a rut this Fall? Well, come to the Smokies for some elk viewing! Their rut will get you out of your rut! Autumn is that time of year when these amazing animals get friendly and fill the air with those iconic bugle calls! Read on, because we’ve got all you need to know about Elk Viewing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this Fall!
Bull Elk in Cataloochee Valley (photo credit: Lori’s Outdoor Photography)
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.
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.
This is a great video of Elk Viewing Safety Tips produced by The Great Smoky Mountains Association!
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.
