Suspected Max Patch vandals caught
HOT SPRINGS — A public outcry of disgust helped the Forest Service wrangle at least some of the suspected off-road vandals destroying a beloved hiking spot along the Appalachian Trail.
View ArticleFlooding likely to blame for January drop in Smokies visitors
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials speculate that an especially wet January and the road closures that followed may be to blame for a drop in visitation totals for the month.
View ArticleParks prepare for 5 percent across-the-board cuts
With the busy tourist season just around the corner, national parks across the United States — including 11 park units located wholly or partially in Tennessee — are bracing for budget cuts and hiring...
View ArticleFixing a hole: Crews ready to work round-the-clock at Newfound Gap slide site
NEWFOUND GAP — Refilling the gaping bite that a rainy January took out of U.S. Highway 441 on the North Carolina side of Newfound Gap will become a round-the-clock operation next week.
View ArticleSlave Falls Loop: Big South Fork trail packs waterfall, arch into 4.2 miles
JAMESTOWN — Waterfalls and weathered sandstone are two of the signature features of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. The Slave Falls Loop, in the west-central portion of the park,...
View ArticleSmokies, other parks plan cuts despite sequestration uncertainty
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials are moving forward with plans to close three campsites and cut staff, even with Friday’s uncertainty on how scheduled across-the-board budget cuts will...
View ArticleOff the couch: Active options, March 8 and beyond
Knox Walks is a fitness walking program aimed at helping participants make a healthy lifestyle change. Participants are asked to commit to one group walk a week for 10 weeks. Walkers will receive...
View ArticleCanadian canoeist critical after capsizing in Little River
A 65-year-old canoeist from Canada was critically injured today after his watercraft capsized and he became trapped under water above the Sinks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to...
View ArticleInjured Smokies hiker out of hospital
A 55-year-old Knoxville man is out of the hospital after being treated for injuries suffered when he tumbled off the Alum Cave Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
View ArticleSmokies, Blue Ridge tourism loss over funding-related closures expected to...
ASHEVILLE — The usually much-anticipated spring and summer seasons in Western North Carolina’s national parks will come with fewer places to camp on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains...
View ArticleUT student studying temperature, activity effects on bat-killing fungus
TOWNSEND — It was an hour until nightfall and, at the bottom of the natural basin at the northwest end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the air had a penetrating chill.
View ArticleSnow delays spring opening of Clingmans Dome Road
Early spring snow has forced the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to delay opening Clingmans Dome Road.
View ArticleVisitation to Smokies park cemeteries along Noland Creek rescheduled
Due to the road damage, the upcoming public cemetery visitation scheduled for Branton and lower Noland cemeteries on April 28 has been delayed, Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have...
View ArticleHiker rescued after falling on Mount LeConte
A 55-year-old man had to be rescued by park rangers after falling from the icy slopes of Mount LeConte on Saturday afternoon.
View ArticleLeConte Lodge receives airlifted supplies for 2013 season
A helicopter this week has airlifted supplies up to LeConte Lodge in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as the facility prepares for its 88th season.
View ArticleLeConte Lodge receives airlifted supplies for 2013 season
A helicopter this week has airlifted supplies up to LeConte Lodge in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as the facility prepares for its 88th season.
View ArticleSmokies 2012 visits highest in decade
Great Smoky Mountains National Park drew 9,685,829 visitors last year to maintain its title as the most visited national park in the U.S.
View ArticleNewfound Gap Road in Smokies opens a month ahead of schedule
CHEROKEE, N.C. — Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park reopened at 10 a.m. today, only three months after a major landslide took out a 200-foot section of pavement six miles south of...
View ArticleCrews to repair flood-damaged trails in Smokies
Crews in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be turning their attention to two popular hiking trails that were damaged by flooding this winter.
View ArticleGreat Smoky Mountains National Park announces 2013 firefly-viewing schedule
Park officials have announced the Elkmont Firefly Viewing event in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will take place from Thursday, June 6 through Thursday, June 13.
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