Great Smoky Mountains National Park has implemented a “pilot project” to charge visitors $14 to park near Laurel Falls, a popular waterfall near Gatlinburg. The National Park Service says the “congestion management project” will operate through Oct. 3. “During the pilot project, trailhead parking will be provided by reservation only and no parking will be
This is a photo that was taken alongside the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail near Gatlinburg. It was taken out the car window as the cubs and their mother foraged around near the road for several minutes. The young cubs were obviously in the early process of just learning how to climb trees. Click for
A 73-year-old Georgia man recently drowned at Abrams Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a seven-hour rescue operation involving divers was conducted to retrieve his body. Stephen Musser of Roswell, Georgia, had been swimming in a large pool near Abrams Falls on Friday, Aug. 27. He was caught up in the current
The 7th annual Dancing Bear Bicycle Bash is set for Sept. 18, and bicyclists from around the United States are invited to participate. 25-mile, 40-mile, or 52-mile races are available for riders. The route will pass through the ‘famous’ curves on US 321 providing beautiful mountains views. The race will being at 9 a.m. from
This year (2021) is the bicentennial of the Cherokee Syllabary – a system of writing the Cherokee language developed over years by Sequoyah in the early 1800s. “Searching for Sequoyah”, produced by James M. Fortier and LeAnne Howe, will air on PBS stations nationwide starting in November and examines not only that major accomplishment but
On a two-lane road leading to Acadia national park’s picturesque Bass Harbor head lighthouse, traffic has come to a standstill. A row of cars wait to enter the parking lot, with one local turning around altogether to try again on a less crowded day. Visitors have flooded national parks this summer as Covid-19 regulations eased
With more than 100 species of trees, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a prime spot for a fall getaway and leaf-peeping. The 469-mile roadway passes through six mountain chains in the Appalachians in Virginia and North Carolina. Operated by the National Park Service, the parkway is a planned landscape, unlike most national park areas. In
On Thursday, an esteemed Tennessee park won more awards than any other park during the Golden Ticket Awards virtual ceremony. Dollywood, a famed park known for its theme park rides, music and water attractions, won four Golden Ticket Awards and earned finalist placement in several categories. >> READ COMPLETE ARTICLE
An injured hiker was rescued Friday in Great Smoky Mountains National Park after falling about 200 feet down an embankment, officials said. Park rangers and personnel from the Townsend Area Volunteer Fire Department were called to the Spruce Flats Falls Trail shortly before 4 p.m. after a female hiker slid off the trail and down
Big changes are underway for the cabins at historic Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Funding is now in place to make progress on the plans unveiled in 2009 to preserve 19 cabins and destroy 55 others. Since those plans were announced, the Appalachian Clubhouse and Spence Cabin were restored in 2012 while
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