Yosemite National Park chief to step down Aug 23, 2008
Tollefson's career in the National Park Service includes the superintendency of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks in California, Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. These included trails, habitat, wildlife, visitor center exhibits and cultural preservation projects. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Fla. Man's Shoe Found in Stomach of Slain Black Bear Aug 19, 2008
Authorities cut open a slain bear and found a shoe lost by a Florida man while fighting off a bear that attacked his 8-year-old son in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The footwear was discovered in the black bear's stomach during a necropsy at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center, Smokies spokeswoman Nancy Gray said Monday. (Fox News)
Dollywood Announces New Attraction, Show for 2009 Season Aug 16, 2008
Adventure Mountain honors the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's 75th anniversary ... Adventure Mountain celebrates the great outdoors and natural beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which marks its 75th anniversary in 2009. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Father, 8-Year-Old Son Survive Bear Attack in Tennessee Aug 13, 2008
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee An 8-year-old boy and his father were mauled by a black bear that pounced on the boy in a creek without provocation in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, authorities said Tuesday. Evan Pala was cut, scratched and bitten. (Fox News)
Father, son hurt in bear attack Aug 13, 2008
about the bear that attacked him in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Monday evening ... (AP) An 8-year-old Florida boy had just scrambled up a creek embankment ahead of his father and older brother during a day hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when he confronted an 86-pound male black bear. (Montana Standard, MT)
Bear attacks Boca boy, dad in Tenn. Aug 13, 2008
An 8-year-old Boca Raton boy and his father are recovering from an attack by a young bear in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The bear attacked Evan Pala around 7:30 p.m. Monday, near the Rainbow Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (The Palm Beach Post)
independents Aug 12, 2008
15m ago Officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park say a black bear mauled an 8-year-old Florida boy and the boy's father was injured while defending him. FIND MORE STORIES IN. (USA Today -- Sports)
Survey finds 6,000 unidentified species in park Jul 22, 2008
ASHEVILLE, N.C. A 10-year study has found more than 6,000 species of plant and animal life previously unidentified in Great Smoky Mountains National Park ... Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (The Daily Reflector)
Vanderbilt's great-grandson speaks for state Jul 22, 2008
He said he wants pollution cleaned up in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which lies between and is shared by North Carolina and Tennessee. His company leads one or multi-day backpacking hikes, runs shuttles and rents gear. (AL.com)
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: Website launched for visitors with disabilities Jul 16, 2008
A description of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, for example, notes that most park trails are "steep and rugged," but a half-mile paved trail can be found on Newfound Gap Road south of the Sugarlands Visitor Center, along the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. The path even has tracks of a black bear that happened to wander across the wet concrete when the trail was built. (USA Today)
Smoky Mountain communities hot spot for weddings Jul 8, 2008
But no place can compete with the towns that lie next to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee, with their wedding chapels, mountain cabins and luxury suites. The state Department of Health says the Sevier County towns of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville have led the state's wedding market for decades. (WREG.com, TN)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park celebrates 75th anniversary with website Jul 2, 2008
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has unveiled an interactive website giving viewers a virtual tour of activities planned to celebrate the park's 75th anniversary. The site at invites visitors to share photos and stories of their experiences in the country's most-visited national park. (USA Today -- Travel)
Toyota donates $1M to Smokies for education Jun 27, 2008
(AP) - Toyota has donated $1 million and three Prius hybrid vehicles to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The donation is the largest single gift ever made to the country's most-visited national park. (WREG.com, TN)
Why visit a national park? Jun 25, 2008
There are similar efforts underway at the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where middle school, high school and college students are taught about pollution and allowed to collect and analyze soil samples. "The thought was to try to get nontraditional audiences into the park," says Susan Sachs, the center's education coordinator, referring to both children of different ethnic and age groups. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Quiet time elusive on vacation Jun 25, 2008
" On our last day in the mountains, we set out from Newfound Gap in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and walked a short distance on the Appalachian Trail. It was a cool morning after a night in the 40s and some people were wearing jackets. We headed north and steadily uphill toward Charlie's Bunion, a rocky outcrop with a great view, I'm told. But we didn't go that far. At some point, we couldn't hear the cars groaning up the mountain or the children shouting in the busy overlook parking lot.... (Florida Times-Union)
Donation of 2 electric vehicles makes Smokies "greener" Jun 24, 2008
The National Park Service is using two new electric vehicles on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The donated vehicles can be used on public roads with posted speeds of 35 mph or less. (The Daily Reflector)
Opposition Mounts to Clean Air Change Affecting Parks Jun 23, 2008
As an example, he said air quality in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country's most-visited national park with more than 9 million visitors a year, recently reached an "orange alert" pollution warning. The park straddles the Tennessee-North Carolina border. (ABC News -- Wire)
New Reasons To Visit A National Park Jun 15, 2008
There are similar efforts underway at the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where middle school, high school and college students are taught about pollution and allowed to collect and analyze soil samples. What are your summer travel plans. (Forbes)
Storm of the Century 1993 Jun 14, 2008
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was hard hit. Six feet of snow fell at Mount LeConte and this was deepest snowfall registered during the Superstorm of 1993. (Suite101.com)
Central’s Shepard set to play at Maryville College Jun 11, 2008
Shepard was impressed with the coaching staff at Maryville, which is situated between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville. They were really nice. (Columbia Daily Herald, TN)
As popularity of Skywalk grows, so does Grand Canyon rivalry Jun 8, 2008
The park is the second-most-visited national park in the country after the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the North Carolina-Tennessee border. "It's not so much that we're losing business at this end - even with the opening of the Skywalk, we had a record year last year - it's a matter of letting people know the difference between what we offer here and what they offer out west," said Craig Andresen, the chamber's new executive. (AZCentral -- News)
National park gems Jun 7, 2008
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a highway running through it and gets more than nine million visitors per yearthe most of any single park in the system. By contrast, Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve in Alaska has no roads, is best reached by float plane and saw a grand total of 60 recreational visitors in 2006. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Director optimistic for Ecology Lab future Jun 2, 2008
At about 310 square miles, SRS is the largest protected wildlife habitat in the eastern United States, bigger than the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, he said. "There's nothing comparable in the Southeast," he said. (The Augusta Chronicle)
Unforgettable, sumptuous getaways in Dixie May 30, 2008
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, straddling North Carolina and Tennessee, has 800 miles of well-maintained trails; the Blue Ridge Parkway, winding through western Virginia and North Carolina, is one of the most famous scenic drives in the country. April through July is prime wildflower season, the time when rhododendrons bloom along mountain streams and goldenrods shoot up beside sandy beaches. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Man becomes devotee of fire towers May 26, 2008
The Winston-Salem Journal reports that his goal was to hike from the eastern end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the western end. Barr, a novice hiker at the time, traversed the rugged Smokies wearing tennis shoes and lugging a 60-pound pack. (The Daily Reflector)
From the field May 22, 2008
From June 2 through June 14, fishermen can keep all the rainbows they catch, regardless of size, along an eight-mile section of the creek in the Tremont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park Service biologists are working to restore native brook trout in the stream. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Nature beckons in Waynesville, N.C. May 21, 2008
It starts with the property's location next to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In fact, a mile-long split rail fence is all that separates The Swag from the national park, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2009. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Hit the trail with the hounds May 15, 2008
Dogs are permitted on most of the trail with the exception of Baxter State Park in Maine, the Bear Mountain State Park Trailside Museum and Wildlife Center in New York and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina. Popular pet-friendly areas along the trail in Virginia include Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Shenandoah National Park, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. (MSNBC -- Travel)
5 vacations under $500 May 10, 2008
Day 3: Head for Great Smoky Mountains National Park ... Picnic in Great Smoky Mountains National Park before heading back to Atlanta. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Travel)
Gun regulations in national parks open for public comment May 3, 2008
"What do you do when visiting a park that has boundary lines in multiple states-like Death Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Yellowstone National Park?". In addition, the coalition is concerned that if someone with a concealed carry permit from Nevada, which has liberal gun laws, were visiting Death Valley National Park and hiked or drove into the part of the park inside California state boundaries, a state with stringent... (Courier Publications, ME)
Traveling in your own backyard May 2, 2008
Instead of joining the throngs of RVs in Yellowstone National Park or Great Smoky Mountains National Park, zero in on less crowded national and state parks that are not so well known. Chances are a few of them are downright deserted on a summer weekday. (MSNBC -- Travel)
National park road will close for next week May 2, 2008
A popular east-west road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will close for a week while crews stabilize a rock face. The National Park Service said Friday work will begin along Little River Road on Monday, reducing it to one lane and an 8-mile section of the road will be closed May 12-19. (The Daily Reflector)
On the Appalachian Trial Apr 17, 2008
Brian Spigel (left) and Timothy Rich, on top of Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. . (Courier Publications, ME)
Four missing cavers found alive Mar 23, 2008
(CNN) -- Rescuers found four spelunkers "wet and cold" but alive Friday afternoon in a cave in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a park spokesman said. Ken Cave said he was told it could take eight to 10 hours to free them from Rainbow Cave, which is entered at the base of a waterfall five miles west of Townsend, Tennessee, where one of the park entrances is located. (CNN -- US)
4 Found Safe, Pulled From Tenn. Cave Mar 22, 2008
Rescuers found four cavers cold and wet but otherwise safe on Friday after they didn't return as planned from an overnight spelunking trip in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The four were brought out of the cave in good condition shortly before 8 p.m., about six hours after searchers made contact with them. (The Daily Reflector)
4 Found in Tennessee Cave Mar 22, 2008
Rescuers found four cavers cold and wet but otherwise safe on Friday after they didn't return as planned from an overnight spelunking trip in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Related Articles. (Time.com)
Nation: Four missing Tennessee cavers found safe Mar 22, 2008
Rangers in Tennessee have found four cavers who failed to return on time from on an overnight spelunking trip in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park spokesman Bob Miller says the two men and two teens are cold and wet but not injured. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Trout weather drought Mar 20, 2008
A Great Smoky Mountains National Park study of brook trout is available at ... "From his fly-fishing shop on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Begley monitors the advance of spring. He provides a daily fishing report on his Web site.Trout streams in the Smokies are just beginning to emerge from their slower winter phase, he said. Water temperatures are still in the mid-40s, which keeps trout sluggish, but that will soon change."As water temperatures get close to 50 degrees, we... (News & Observer -- Sports)
Man Takes Frosty Dip While Fleeing Scene Feb 29, 2008
Jett was found by a K-9 unit in the nearby Little River, which flows from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Only his face was above the surface, with his body concealed by a submerged tree. (CBS News)
Schweitzer, Baker sign letter supporting national parks (1) Feb 20, 2008
9 million, or 11 percent, more for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Former President Jimmy Carter, former first lady Lady Bird Johnson, actor Robert Redford, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, journalist Walter Cronkite, historian David McCullough, former auto executive Lee Iacocco and Baker's wife, former Kansas Sen. (Helena Independent Record)
Familys road trip brings the unexpected: Listen to the Audio Feb 19, 2008
Slowly they toured the parks of the Midwest, the Northeast and the Atlantic Coast, with a trip inland to hit one of their favorites, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The pregnancy altered their trip in minor ways. (Durango Herald)
Authorities hope arrests, jail time, can halt ginseng poaching Feb 17, 2008
Park rangers hope recent jail sentences handed to two men convicted of poaching ginseng in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will help protect the highly valued root. . (Herald Sun)
Authorities building case against Hilton for murders Feb 2, 2008
Your Connection to the. Web Search powered by YAHOO. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Duke Energy gets plants final air permit; construction to begin Jan 30, 2008
One group said Tuesday the generator will increase hazy skies, worsen acid rain, and deposit large amounts of toxic mercury in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country s most-visited national park. While permit improvements have been made that could lessen impact on the Smokies, no one can know for sure because the state has excused Duke from fully analyzing the fate of its pollution, said Stephanie Kodish, an attorney for the Coal Litigation Program National Parks Conservation... (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
Slick trip is part of trail work Jan 24, 2008
The well-used Neusiok Trail -- part of North Carolina's 900-mile Mountains to Sea Trail that starts in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and ends in Jockey's Ridge State Park at the ocean -- is about three or four feet wide, relatively clear and easy to follow. Except for an occasional fallen branch or tree, it's almost as easy to walk as a city sidewalk. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Arthur Harris, 87; wrote of travels around world Jan 18, 2008
He served with the American Friends Service Committee, doing forestry work at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mr. Harris worked for WRGB-TV in Albany until 1974, when he moved to Vermont and began pursuing travel writing full time. (Boston Globe)
Latest updates on hiker suspect Jan 18, 2008
Shortly before her disappearance, Rossana Miliani, 26, told her family in a telephone call that she was planning a hiking trip around Bryson City, a small town not far from the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, said her father, Anibal Miliani of Miami. Few clues surfaced, but this past December, a local newspaper ran a story about the second anniversary of Miliani's disappearance. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
Missing Fla. hiker Jan 17, 2008
She told her family in a telephone call that she was planning a hiking trip around Bryson City, a small town not far from the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, said her father, Anibal Miliani of Miami. The family soon became worried about her when she did not call again, and eventually reported her disappearance to police. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
State news of national interest Jan 4, 2008
(AP) The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will get its largest yearly increase in operating funds under the new federal budget. Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson says the Smokies will get $1. (International Herald Tribune)
North Carolina has an elk herd, too Jan 3, 2008
Mike Zlotnicki, Staff Writer In 2001, 26 elk captured in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in western Kentucky and Tennessee were reintroduced into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ... 305, * Great Smoky Mountains National Park (865) 436-1200. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Smokies power plant decried Dec 15, 2007
"The real-world effect ... would be severe impacts upon air quality and air quality related values at Great Smoky Mountains National Park," Bunyak said ... "Because of the way the state Division of Air Quality has processed that permit, they have essentially avoided the normal process of trying to determine and mitigate any impacts that a facility would have on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and wilderness areas," Barger said ... The state exempted Duke Energy from doing an analysis of... (News & Observer)
Cold weather ushers in chilly tales Nov 20, 2007
There are seven different tours in the Northeastern Tennessee mountains presently available to choose from all located just a short drive from Dollywood, Ober Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These include haunted and historic Erwin and Jonesborough - Tennessee's oldest town, Blountville, Greeneville and Rogersville; in Johnson City, formerly known as "Johnson's Depot" two different tours include the "Little Chicago GhostWalk" as well as the campus of East... (East Tennessean, TN)
Invasive Asian earthworms hooked on destruction Nov 5, 2007
" "They're hyper-aggressive when it comes to expanding into new habitat," Callaham said. But their expansion into forested areas like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been documented only in the past 10 years, said Callaham, who's been studying the Smokies invasion with UGA graduate student Ben Snyder and others. They hope to do a more extensive study soon. Among other questions, they want to know what, if anything, scientists might do to halt the worms' mountain invasion - if... (Athens Banner-Herald)
Drought creates tough times for storks Oct 20, 2007
Georgia biologist Nathan Klaus witnessed some of the devastation during a recent five-day backpacking trip in Great Smoky Mountains National Park: "The hemlocks of the Great Smoky Mountains are almost totally dead," he said on the Georgia birders' chat line. "Looking out from any high elevation perch, the valleys are a sickly gray color. Massive dead trees have already begun to fall.". (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
City slicker finds peace in the country Oct 7, 2007
Townsend is one of three gateways to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the United States. If there is a more beautiful, well-maintained park, I have yet to find it. (Scranton Times, PA)
Press Conference Announced for 6 Year old Colin Jackson Abducted by Father Sep 22, 2007
Colin was taken by his father David Jackson on August 27, 2007 and is believed to be in the area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee or North Carolina ... Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (Yahoo News -- Press Releases)
Hit the road for scenic fall drives Sep 7, 2007
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles from Virginia through the Blue Ridge Mountains to North Carolina, ending at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. Take a week to explore the entire parkway, or pick a section for a day trip or an overnight. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Travel)
Drought prompts statewide burn ban Aug 29, 2007
Backcountry campfires have been banned in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park because of extreme dry conditions and the risk of wildfires. Story created Aug 28, 2007 - 15:45:35 EDT.. (Columbia Daily Herald, TN)
Challenges Remain In Reintroducing American Chestnut Aug 28, 2007
In many public lands where the chestnut used to thrive, such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, human interference is strongly discouraged and often illegal. But Jacobs said some interference and harvesting will be necessary to reintroduce the chestnut, calling for a unified and proactive approach and exceptions to certain laws that govern public lands. (Science Daily)
Steady loss of hemlock trees could devastate ecosystem Aug 25, 2007
" Ulrey and others who spend a lot of time in the area's forests said the loss of the hemlock in the Southern Appalachians has progressed much faster than anyone had predicted. Ulrey said nearly all of the trees on the Blue Ridge Parkway are infested. About one-quarter of the hemlocks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are already dead, and forester Tom Remaley estimates that all the untreated hemlocks in the park will be dead in two to five years. "Really cold winters will really slow... (The Daily Reflector)
'Challenge' presses Congress for more parks funds Aug 23, 2007
Challenge' presses Congress for more parks funds - USATODAY.com. Sign up to receive our free Daily Briefing e-newsletter and get the top news of the day in your inbox. (USA Today)
Student Conservation Association Names 50,000th Volunteer At Great Smoky Mountains National Park Aug 16, 2007
Sarah Logan has just completed a month of trail building with an SCA crew at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ADVERTISEMENT. (Primezone Releases)
Whitewater rafting: The perfect bachelor getaway Aug 15, 2007
The river, which had 107,987 visits last year, is within close proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Pigeon Forge vacation hotspot, home to Dollywood, Dolly Parton's theme park. Taylor said more coordination is also needed to connect outsiders with existing attractions, such as the Outdoor Theater at Grandview and the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, which is closed this summer while undergoing renovations. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Travel)
Heat wave sweeps central, eastern U.S. Aug 7, 2007
On a clear day in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park you can see 100 miles from the Look Rock overlook. On Monday, the vista was down to 13 miles because of the haze. (USA Today -- Weather)
Kids and the National Park Service Jul 23, 2007
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. What a place with black bears, and more kinds of salamanders than your fingers and toes. (Suite101.com)
