Information about wildlife in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park could see more bears this year than last year. That’s because of an increase in cubs born in the park since last summer. “We’ve had reports anywhere from one to four bear cubs. Two to three is most common, but we have had one report of four,”
This last weekend of September marks the calm before the October storm of people descend on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. More than a million visitors enter the park each October to see the magnificent seasonal colors produced by the trees. >> Read Complete Article
Bears might be the traditional roadside celebrities of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but the competition is closing in. This year marks the 12th anniversary of the experimental release of 25 elk in some of the park’s remotest corners, followed by the release of 27 more in 2002. >> Read Complete Article
Great Smoky Mountains National Park superintendent Dale Ditmanson announced the approval of a proposed plan for managing a permanent herd of elk in the Smokies. >> Read Full Article
Employees at Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen were in for a surprise Wednesday morning, as they found themselves greeted by a bear upon entering the shop. “It was scary inside here,” said supervisor Harold Wright as he motioned around the shop. “I was afraid it might do something (or harm someone). I was glad to get
Without a doubt the most famous inhabitant of the Great Smoky Mountains is the Black Bear. It’s estimated that roughly 1,800 inhabit the park. Black bears average 200 to 400 pounds in weight and can reach six feet in length. Among the best places to see black bears in the Smoky Mountains and are in
Asheville Citizen-Times – A park visitor sustained a minor injury when he was bitten on the foot by a black bear while hiking the popular Laurel Falls Trail in the national park. In his effort to photograph the bear, the visitor allowed it to approach within inches and the bear bit the man’s foot, leaving
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 larger
