Information about camping, hiking, fishing. etc. in the Great Smokies National Park.
Distance: 1.5 miles. 0.2 mile side trip to Walker Sister Cabin. Difficulty: Easy Connections: Metcalf Bottoms Trail, Little Greenbrier Trail The Little Brier Gap Trail is a popular hike that leads by the old homesite of the famed Walker Sisters of Little Greenbrier. To reach the trailhead travel up Wear Cove Gap Road from the
Distance: 0.6 miles, one way Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 100 ft. Connections: Little Brier Gap Trail The Metcalf Bottoms Trail is an easy, pleasant hike that leads you to the Little Greenbrier School, an old log building originally built in 1882. The Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area is located around 11 miles west of Gatlinburg on
Officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have announced the temporary closure of the Cades Cove Loop Road in January in order to complete hazard tree removal. From January 6-8 and January 13-15 the road will be closed to all motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. “We regret the inconvenience to Cades Cove visitors,” said Acting
Don Barger doesn’t need to consult empirical data for confirmation that air quality in East Tennessee has improved dramatically in recent years. Barger, southern regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, said spectacular views of the Great Smoky Mountains on his way to work from Norris to Knoxville in the mornings are evidence enough.
Balds in the Great Smoky Mountains are somewhat mysterious things. These treeless areas high in the mountains were described by naturalist Edwin Way Teale as, “pieces of prairie lifted thousands of feet into the air.” But no one is quite sure how they came to exist in the Southern Appalachians. Biologists have many theories including
In an effort to protect the Great Smoky Mountains National Park forest from disease-carrying pests, park officials have proposed a new regulation that would prohibit campers from bringing firewood into the park unless it’s certified. If passed, the new regulation would only allow visitors to bring in firewood that has been heat-treated and bundled with
During his thirty years tracking lost souls through the Smokies and beyond McCarter rescued twenty-six people, many of them children. These days he’s still in the mountains, often thinking about those he found—and the few he didn’t. The last lost boy he found was named Phillip Roman. Phillip, who was ten years old, had wandered away from
If you’re looking to escape the frequent traffic jams that you’ll encounter at Cades Cove, or if you’re just looking for a peaceful drive through the woods, Rich Mountain Road fits the bill. Rich Mountain Road is an 8-mile, one-way, gravel road that provides stunning views down into Cades Cove. The road heads north from
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that the next full-scale, Trails Forever restoration will begin on Alum Cave Trail in 2015. The Trails Forever crew will focus restoration efforts on several targeted locations along the 5-mile trail to improve visitor safety and stabilize eroding trail sections. The restoration work will require temporary trail closures
Memphis native Cassius Cash has been named as the new superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by National Park Service Southeast Regional Director Stan Austin. Cash is currently superintendent for Boston National Historical Park and Boston African American National Historic Site. He will assume his new post in February. “We are excited to have
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