Tag Archives: Great Smoky Mountains

A man was found dead inside the historic Smokemont Baptist Church in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Sunday. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Park Service are investigating the death of a man whose body was discovered in the Smokemont Baptist Church on March 29, 2015 as a homicide. Smokemont Baptist Church, also known ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have reopened the Whiteoak Sink area with limited access effective April 1 through May 15 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 that ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that a project to repave 4.3 miles of Newfound Gap Road will begin on April 13, 2015. This work is part of a multi-phased rehabilitation project started in 2007. The section to be resurfaced extends from Sugarlands Visitor Center south to Chimney’s Picnic Area where the last phase ended. This section of Newfound ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced plans to open Clingmans Dome Road this weekend beginning Friday, March 27, 2015 as weather permits. Due to mild temperatures this week, park crews have been able to prepare the road and facilities for the seasonal spring opening ahead of schedule allowing additional opportunities for visitors to reach the popular destination. Accessible by ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park fire management officials plan to conduct a controlled burn of an 80-acre field east of Hyatt Lane in Cades Cove. Weather permitting, burn operations will occur on Wednesday, March 25. The selected field will be burned as part of a cost-effective strategy to prevent the open fields from being reclaimed by forest. These seasonal controlled ...

After a cold and snowy winter here in Sevier County, the first daffodils coloring the landscape are a welcome sight and the best way to celebrate the arrival of spring is to take part in the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage. The 64th Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage will be held April 21-25, 2015 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Gatlinburg, ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park fire management officials are planning a 550-acre prescribed burn in the Wash Ridge unit adjacent to Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina. Weather permitting, burn operations could begin as early as Wednesday, March 18th, and may continue intermittently through mid-April. The burn is part of the larger multi-year prescribed fire project where fire managers have been ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announce the spring opening schedule for park facilities for the 2015 season. Campgrounds and secondary roads will begin opening Friday, March 13. The schedule follows: Roads – Secondary Roads are scheduled to open as follows: Forge Creek Road will open on March 6; Clingmans Dome Road will open on April 1; Round Bottom/Straight Fork ...

If you are planning a vacation in Pigeon Forge this summer, Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort™ is already accepting reservations. The Dollywood Company announced this week that visitors may now book their stay at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, which is set to open this summer, for travel dates starting August 18, 2015. Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort features 300 guest rooms and suites, full-service salon ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to help provide visitor information at Clingmans Dome. The information center sits at 6,300 feet in elevation providing a unique opportunity for park volunteers to assist in educating visitors about high-elevation spruce-fir forests, while also providing recreational, trip planning, and directional information. The information center, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, originally ...