Info on great places to stay, eat and visit during your Smokies trip.
Found primarily in the southern Appalachians, Balds are defined as ‘mountain summits or crests covered primarily by thick vegetation of native grasses or shrubs occurring in areas where heavy forest growth would be expected.’ Andrews Bald in the Great Smoky Mountains is one of two grassy balds maintained by the park service and at 5,920
The first phase of the repair work on the section of Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) that was damaged in a recent landslide began on January 28 and Park officials hope to have the road reopened by summer. The first phase consists of building an access road to the slide area, removing debris and stabilizing
As a result of last week’s torrential rainfall accumulations, a portion of road on the Great Smoky Mountains Parkway connecting Cherokee and Tennessee, was swept away in a landslide. >> Read Complete Article
The seventh annual Winter Heritage Festival in Townsend, TN, is set for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1-2 with a kickoff reception at the Townsend Artisan Gallery (7843 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway) Thursday, Jan. 31 from 5-7 p.m. >> Read Complete Article
When February 13 rolls around the National Park Service will begin charging a backcountry camping fee for all those wishing to camp overnight in the Great Smoky Mountains backcountry. The fee will be $4 per person per night in order to use the park’s backcountry campsites and shelters. The money collected from the fees will
Highway officials hope to have a time and cost estimate within the next week for the work that is needed to repair the section of U.S. 441 that was destroyed in a landslide last week. The Park service chief of facility management, Charles Sellars declared. “It is a significant slide. It’s going to take us
Great Smoky Mountains officials are reporting that a huge landslide near mile marker 22 has taken a large chunk out of Newfound Gap Rd. (US 441). The slide occurred Thursday morning around 9:40 a.m. and left a gap in the road roughly the size of a football field. No one was reported injured. Officials expect
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have recently been receiving unusual reports of erratically flying bats diving down towards people in the park. It’s uncommon because during the winter the bats should be hibernating. As a result, officials are urging visitors to be cautious as bats are known to carry rabies and other diseases. Any
When you walk into the Titanic Pigeon Forge museum, you know there will be nothing else like it. In January 2013, for several days, the museum will close in order to bring in new exhibits and make the best, better. >> Read Complete Article
There’s something eerie about skiing down a mountain and seeing the brown, bare ground flanking both sides of the trail. Yet the conditions at Cataloochee are surprisingly excellent from December through March. >> Read Complete Article
