Great Smoky Mountains National Park invites the public to “Fall into Volunteerism with Smokies Service Days!” Park staff will lead several single-day volunteer opportunities across the park on Saturdays beginning through November 21. Each experience provides a unique, hands-on opportunity to help care for park campgrounds, historic buildings, and natural resources. This volunteer program helps complete much needed work across ...
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Park Seeks Public Input to Reduce Congestion, Improve Visitor Experience
During the week of October 19, Great Smoky Mountains National Park invites the public to provide input on how the park can improve visitor experiences and alleviate congestion at some of its busiest destinations. The public can participate through virtual interactive workshops, online forms, or direct mail. “We look forward to working hand-in-hand with our local communities and visitors from ...
Read More »Reward Offered for “Egregious” Vandalism of Sign Involving Black Bear Skin
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking information to help identify the party responsible for vandalizing the Foothills Parkway West Entrance Sign near the Highway 321 intersection in Walland, Tennessee between September 18, 2020 and September 19, 2020 with a black bear skin. On Saturday September 19, 2020 at 7:45 a.m., visitors reported seeing a black bear skin with head ...
Read More »Park Searching for Man Missing in Big Creek Area
Search teams are looking for a man last seen on Monday when he fell into the water at Midnight Hole along the Big Creek Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials and multiple emergency response agencies from Haywood County, N.C. are currently searching for 25-year-old male, Yogesh Patel, of Oak Forest, IL. Patel was ...
Read More »Bear Euthanized after Scavenging Body in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Rangers euthanized a bear Saturday after it was found scavenging the body of a hiker near a backcountry campsite in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. According to park spokesperson Jamie Sanders, hikers found an unoccupied tent at campsite 82 during the afternoon of September 11, 2020. The hikers subsequently discovered what appeared to be human remains across the creek ...
Read More »Smokies Campgrounds and Picnic Areas Reopen after COVID-19 Closure
Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will soon be able to camp again at their favorite Smokies campgrounds. Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is increasing access to additional campgrounds and picnic areas. The National Park Service (NPS) is ...
Read More »Bicyclist Fatality in Cades Cove
North Carolina Man Dies in Cades Cove Bicycle Accident Park officials say a man died as a result of a single-bicycle accident on Sunday in Cades Cove. Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers responded to a report of a bicycle accident in Cades Cove at 10:58 a.m. on Sunday, August 16, 2020. The cyclist, 60-year-old Harold D. Pardue from Elkin, N.C., suffered ...
Read More »Smokies Seeks Input on Wears Valley Mountain Bike Trail
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking public input on a proposed mountain bike trail system on the unfinished section of the Foothills Parkway corridor in Wears Valley, TN. The park is initiating an environmental assessment and 30-day public scoping period in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act. The proposed mountain bike trail system ...
Read More »Great Smoky Mountains National Park Names 2019 Employee of the Year
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is pleased to announce that Steve Spanyer was chosen as the 2019 Employee of the Year. Recognition of the Employee of the Year has been a tradition in the Smokies since 1984. Although the format of this recognition has changed over time, the park is pleased to continue to acknowledge one employee each year who’s ...
Read More »Man Drowned Rescuing Juvenile in Smokies Oconaluftee River
Park officials say a man drowned in the Oconaluftee River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park while trying to rescue a younger family member. Park Rangers responded to a drowning in progress call just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, 2020 behind the Mountain Farm Museum in Cherokee, N.C. Witnesses said that 32-year-old Bulmaro Morales, of Dudley, N.C., heroically ...
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