Latest news stories from around the Great Smoky Mountains.
Wilderness Wildlife Week celebrates all things wild and wonderful in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In its 24th year, this free event features eight days of hikes, seminars, performances and family-friendly fun designed to highlight the natural, cultural and historical landscape of the park and region. >> Read Complete Article
Three hikers stranded in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were rescued by helicopter Friday afternoon. The National Park Service says the trio made a distress call Thursday night, reporting they were cold, wet and needing rescue. The men were without shelter and unable to walk as a storm system dumped snow on the mountains.
Thousands said farewell to 2013 and ushered in the New Year Tuesday night in Gatlinburg. “Everybody, it’s crowded and its hard to move around but it’s fun because you get to see fireworks,” said Kristy Coker.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park continually looks to the past for guidance on maintaining and preserving its historic structures — many from the 1800s — into the future. “There are almost a hundred historic structures in the park,” said park spokeswoman Molly Schroer. “We have a very small crew considering the large amount of work
2013 was a year full of obstacles for businesses relying on one of our area’s greatest assets: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This year they faced many roadblocks. In January, Newfound Gap Road was closed for three months due to a landslide. It was also one of the rainiest years in recent memory, plus
Work will begin Jan. 5 on a road stabilization project to repair a slide area along Newfound Gap Road. The area is on the North Carolina side of the park, about 1 mile south of Newfound Gap parking area, just south of the Deep Creek Trailhead. The work will continue into May. >> Read Complete
The unsung heroes of Great Smoky Mountains National Park are the maintenance workers, whose diligence allows millions to enjoy the most visited national park in the country on a daily basis. In 2012, about 9.7 million people visited the park. That comes to about 26,575 per day. The GSMNP Facility Management Division deals with the
Cataloochee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is well-known for its elk and scenic beauty. The valley is also rich with history and now a new two-hour documentary – three years in the making – tells the story.
The smell of fresh-cooked chili accompanied the sights and sounds of the season Wednesday night in Gatlinburg as the city hosted its annual Gatlinburg Winter Magic event as a kickoff to Smoky Mountain Winterfest. The 24th Annual Chili Cookoff and Winter Magic Kickoff featured the ceremonial lighting of over three million lights and a little
A recent altercation happened in the Cataloochee Valley of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, when a young bull elk approached a photographer along the side of the road. The photographer had been keeping a safe distance when the young elk approached and began to sniff his camera gear. Soon the elk became more aggressive, lowered
