Tag Archives: Great Smoky Mountains

People from outside the area who are interested in owning homes or cabins here constantly ask us, “How did the wildfires affect the real estate market in the Smokies?” That is a great question. The short answer is that we are in a season where it is really a seller’s market, for a couple of different reasons. First, even before ...

Ramsey Cascades Trail reopened on Thursday following the installation of a new foot log. The trail has been closed since August 2016 when the foot log was damaged by a fallen tree. The foot log spans a section of Ramsey Prong that is too swift and deep to allow hikers to safely rock-hop across river. The popular, four-mile trail is ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced the dates for synchronous firefly viewing in Elkmont. Shuttle service to the viewing area will be provided on Tuesday, May 30 through Tuesday, June 6, 2017. All visitors wishing to view the synchronous fireflies at Elkmont must have a parking pass distributed through the lottery system at www.recreation.gov. Every year in late ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials hosted a celebration for the commencement of the final capstone paving project for Foothills Parkway on Thursday. This groundbreaking event served as an opportunity to acknowledge the support received by the State of Tennessee and the Governor’s Office in securing the funds needed to finalize the uncompleted 16-mile section of road between Walland, Tenn. ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a volunteer workday at the Mountain Farm Museum on Tuesday April 25, 2017. The park received a $5,000 grant from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area to create a modified style of fence to help protect the gardens from elk that inhabit the area regularly. “Since the elk have returned, the corn field ...

Each spring when the mountains turn green, Gatlinburg celebrates “Going Green” in a big way during the annual Gatlinburg Earth Week Celebration. The week-long celebration running Monday, April 17 to Saturday, April 21, 2017, presented by Hilton Garden Inn Gatlinburg, features a daily event designed to share easy green practices through games, crafts and music, opportunities to get outside and ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate Junior Ranger Day on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with special activities at the Sugarlands Visitor Center, Cades Cove Visitor Center, and Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Kids of all ages are invited to come learn how to “explore, learn, and protect” their national park and become an official Junior ...

Great Smoky Mountains Association had its best year ever for both sales and membership income in 2016, allowing the association to contribute more than $2 million in support to Great Smoky Mountains National Park last year. “We continued our focus on retail sales, publications and customized product development, and membership development, throughout the year,” Executive Director Laurel Rematore said this ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park hosted a celebration to unveil two new propane fueling stations and six new propane-fueled trucks. By incorporating these new pieces of alternative fuel equipment into daily operations, the park continues on the path to reduce carbon emissions. “We continue to work towards meeting our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from 2006 levels by 20% ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials will reopen the Whiteoak Sink area with limited access effective April 1 through May 15, 2017 to limit human disturbance in critical bat habitat and help hikers avoid interactions with bats. Park biologists will continue monitoring bat populations near the site as they emerge from winter hibernacula to collect population, ecological, and behavioral data ...