Bat Week Events will be held at Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Friday, October 30, 2015 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, North Carolina.
What better time than on Halloween Eve to learn all about the 12 species of bats found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the important role they play in maintaining our ecological balance. Park Rangers will be available at hands-on information stations for fun and educational activities about bats and their importance to our world and the current threat of white-nose syndrome to bats in the National Park and throughout the U.S.
“We first confirmed the presence of white-nose syndrome in the park in 2010,” said National Park Wildlife Biologist Bill Stiver, “The impact has been devastating. We estimate that some of our cave-dwelling bat populations have already declined by 80% and we are doing everything we can to both slow the spread of the disease and protect the remaining animals by closing caves and areas near caves to the public.”
Whiteoak Sink Area Closed Until Late Spring 2015
All of the Parks 16 caves were closed to the public in 2009 and in September 2015 the Whiteoak Sink area was closed to public. The area may reopen in late spring 2015 depending on the results of Park scientists findings as they monitor the site throughout the winter hibernation period to help develop a plan to deal with white-nose syndrome. More than 5.7 million bats in the United States have died leaving more than 40% of the bat species at risk or endangered.
Most hikers access Whiteoak Sink via Schoolhouse Gap Trail near Cades Cove. The closure includes the area between Cades Cove and Townsend within Schoolhouse Gap Trail and Turkeypen Ridge Trail west to the National Park boundary. Turkeypen Ridge and Schoolhouse Gap trails will remain open.
Bat Facts
Scientists estimate that a single bat can eat between 3,000 to 6,000 insects (mosquitoes, moths, and beetles) nightly.
Humans are not affected by white-nose syndrome; the fungus requires a cold body temp to survive. However, never touch or handle a bat. Bats are the only mammal species in the Smoky Mountains that have tested positive for rabies.
Enjoy Wine on the Lawn at Robert A. Tino Gallery in Sevierville on Friday, September 18, 2015. Hillside Winery has partnered with Sugarland Cellars to make the release of Robert Tino’s Autumn Path wine a true celebration of the harvest season.
The event, held from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. is free to the public and family-friendly.
The bucolic grounds of the Tino Gallery are a great place to spread out your blankets and set up your lawn chairs to enjoy great music by Kate Phillips and Steve Laciak of The Reunited while you sip on some fantastic vino.
Food concessions will be provided by the popular Smoky Mountain Catering. And there will be lots of games for the entire family to round out the fun evening.
Sugarland Cellars will offer sample pourings of the new release Autumn Path along with bottles available for purchase.
For more information, visit Wine on the Lawn’s Facebook page! The beautiful label was voted and chosen by members of Friends of the Smokies.
Visitors should be aware of some recent trail openings and closings in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail reopens just as Alum Cave Trail closes on weekdays until November 19, 2015 for needed restoration work.
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a unique 5.5 mile, one-way road through a very beautiful slice of the National Park and provides access to several trails leading to the summit of Mt. LeConte and LeConte Lodge. Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail leads you into a majestic, natural sanctuary just three miles from downtown Gatlinburg.
Directions to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
At traffic light #8 on the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg, turn onto Historic Nature Trail-Airport Road. Keep right past the turnoff to the left to the Park Vista Hotel and enter the National Park on Cherokee Orchard Road. You’ll pass the Noah “Bud” Ogle Self-Guiding Nature Trail. Go another half-mile to reach the entrance to the auto trail through the historic Roaring Fork Community.
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail Highlights
Experience Forest Communities of Cove Hardwood, Pine-Oak and Old-Growth Hemlock.
Visit Historic Farmsteads: Ephraim Bales Place and Alfred Reagan Place.
See “Place of a Thousand Drips” Waterfall.
Rainbow Falls Trail and Trillium Gap Trail to Grotto Falls.
Note: Large motor homes, buses and trailer are prohibited.
Alum Cave Trail will be open each week on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as the Trails Forever Crew work during the week to restore several locations along the five-mile trail.
The summit of Mt. LeConte, LeConte Lodge, and the LeConte Shelter can still reached by hiking one of five other trails, three of which are accessed via Cherokee Orchard Road which leads to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
Rainbow Falls Trail – 6.6 miles from the Rainbow Falls Parking Area on the Cherokee Orchard Road to the summit of Mt. LeConte. Rainbow Falls is 2.7 miles from the trailhead.
Trillium Gap Trail – 8.7 miles from Rainbow Falls Parking Area on the Cherokee Orchard Road to the summit of Mt. LeConte. Grotto Falls is 3.5 miles from the trailhead. The Boulevard Trail via The Appalachian Trail – From Newfound Gap hike north on the Appalachian Trail for 2.7 miles, then hike 5.3 miles on the Boulevard Trail to the summit of Mt. LeConte. Bull Head Trail – Accessed via Old Sugarlands Trail near the Rainbow Falls Parking Area on the Cherokee Orchard Road. Walk .4 miles on Old Sugarlands Trail to Bullhead Trail. Then walk 6.4 miles to the summit of Mt. LeConte. Many folks hike up to Mt. LeConte on Rainbow Falls Trail and return on Bull Head Trail for a nice loop walk. Brushy Mountain Trail via Porters Creek Trail – Porters Creek Trail begins in the Greenbrier section of the National Park located off U.S. Highway 321 about six miles east of Gatlinburg. Travel approximately 4.1 miles down Greenbrier Road to a traffic loop with a gate and trail sign. Walk 1 mile on Porters Creek Trail, then 4.5 miles to the intersection with Trillium Gap Trail with the summit of Mt. LeConte in another 3.6 miles.
Parking is limited at all of these trailheads so carpooling is greatly encouraged.
For more information about the restoration project for Alum Cave Trail visit www.nps.gov.
Join the Tennessee Distilleries Guild for its inaugural Tennessee Spirits at the Smokies Festival on Saturday, June 27, 2015 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Smokies Stadium Park in Kodak. Guests will enjoy sampling authentic, made-in-Tennessee spirits from over 20 of the state’s top craft distilleries.
“We believe we have the best tasting spirits in the world and look forward to showcasing the wide variety of those spirits to the visitors and local patrons,” says Kris Tatum, Distillery Manager with the Tennessee Distillers Guild.
Tickets are on sale now online at www.eventbrite.com or call the Smokies Ticket Office at 865-286-2300. Tickets are $35 per person and can be purchased online or at the door. Guests will receive a commemorative, five-ounce sample glass. To enjoy responsibly, designated drivers are highly encouraged to attend and will receive free admission and soft drinks.
Enjoy fabulous food and live entertainment during the Tennessee Spirits at the Smokies Festival. You can meet with the folks who make your favorite libations like Jack Daniel’s head distiller, Jeff Arnett, from Lynchburg, Tennessee. You can also meet newcomers like Old Forge Distillery from Pigeon Forge and Sugarlands Distillery from Gatlinburg.
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21, 2015 and we’ve got the Top 20 Ways to Celebrate Father’s Day in the Smokies this year!
The #1 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day is to “Treat Dad to Dinner!” on Saturday, June 20 at the Pets Without Parents event at River Terrace Resort in Gatlinburg from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Tickets are $10 per person and Dad’s dine FREE! You’ll enjoy a great dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, garlic breadsticks, salad, and fruit cobbler. But that’s not all! Entertainer Jamie Simpson will be on hand to tickle funny bones as dad-approved “Jeff Foxworthy.” Door Prizes and a Silent Auction round out the evening of fun for a good cause. For tickets and more information, visit Pets Without Parents, or call Dani at 865-851-6676.
The #2 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day is at Tennessee Smokies Baseball Stadium in Kodak on Sunday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m. when the Smokies take on the Mississippi Braves.
It’s a game winning recipe of family fun with a special Father’s Day Pre-Game Catch and lots of other raffles and fun for you and Dad! It’s all at America’s Friendliest Ballpark! For tickets, visit SmokiesBaseball.com.
The #3 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day in the Smoky Mountains is at Lumberjack Feud in Pigeon Forge. Dads get FREE admission on Sunday, June 21 in honor of Father’s Day!
You and Dad will fall in love with their high flying Timber Dogs and enjoy the thrill of the competition of real ESPN lumberjack athletes. Showtimes are at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Call Lumberjack Feud Box Office at 865-428-8688 for tickets.
A Father’s Day Celebration would not be complete without a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. OMG! There are a lot of FREE programs going on in the Park during Father’s Day Weekend, so be sure to spend some time outside with Dad!
#4 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Back Porch Old Time Music @ Oconaluftee Visitor Center Saturday, June 20, 2015 1:00 -3:00 p.m.
It’s a free, old-time jam session of traditional Appalachian music. You and Dad can bring your own instrument and play along!
#5 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
On Top of Old Smoky @ Clingmans Dome Visitor Center Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Take in the 360-degree views with Dad at the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A Ranger will lead you on a moderate 1-mile hike through this Canadian Zone environment of endangered spruce and fir trees.
#6 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Women’s Work Festival @ Oconaluftee Visitor Center’s Mountain Farm Museum Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Ironic this festival is held on Father’s Day Weekend; but as they say, a woman’s work is never done! Head over to the farm and see how it really was done in the days of old with demonstrations of open hearth cooking, weaving, spinning, sewing, and other mountain crafts. Mom would probably love to drag Dad to this festival on his special day!
#7 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Get Your Kids Hiking! @ Sugarlands Visitor Center Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Park Rangers team up with the award-winning author and family hiking expert, Jeff Alt, for a fun outdoor adventure for the whole family! Children of all ages will enjoy this “hike” of less than a mile and learn some simple techniques to turn any walk into a family adventure!
#8 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Cataract Falls Walk @ Sugarlands Visitor Center Saturday, June 20, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21, 2015 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Join a National Park Ranger for this short walk along Fighting Creek to the beautiful 12-foot waterfall known as Cataract Falls. You’ll have an opportunity to ask questions and learn all about the Park’s flora and fauna.
#9 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Gristmill Demonstration @ Mingus Mill Saturday, June 20, 2015 11:30 a.m – 12:00 p.m and 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Sunday, June 21, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
You and Dad can talk with a real miller and learn all about how this historic gristmill played an important role in early mountain life. Mingus Mill is located just 1/2 mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.
#10 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Junior Ranger Program: Animal Olympics @ Cades Cove Visitor Center/Cable Mill Historic Area* Saturday, June 20, 2015 1:00-1:45 p.m.
You and Dad will have a blast comparing your senses and abilities to those of the animals in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
*Here’s an Insider Travel Tip for you. Due to the popularity of Cades Cove, traffic moves slowly. Travel time for the 6-mile trip from the beginning of the Cades Cove Loop Road to the Visitor Center may take over an hour to drive, so please plan accordingly.
