Clingmans Dome opened early this year on account of the warm weather.  The road, trail, store, and tower are now open.  New exhibits in the Information Center can be enjoyed if you're in the area.

Wear Cove Road will be closed March 19 thru April 5 due to repair work on the bridge. 

Katy Koontz will be signing our newest book, Family Fun in the Smokies on April 2 at the Sugarlands Visitor Center.

Music of the Mountains April 20-22

 

Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage April 25-28

 

Front Porch Music at OVC April 21, May 19 (the 3rd Saturday of every month)

 

National Junior Ranger Day April 28

 

Cosby in the Park May 19

 

 

On November 26, 2011 (Thanksgiving weekend), at approximately 10 pm, an adult female bear was struck by a vehicle along Highway 441 near the Gatlinburg boundary.

 

The bear was found the next morning laying next to a tree about 20 yards from the road and was subsequently captured and evaluated. The bear had significant injuries to her right rear leg, including a shattered femur and open wounds on the inside and outside portions of the leg.   

 

After consulting with Dr. Ed Ramsay, Veterinarian at the University of Tennessee, it was clear there was no feasible way to repair the injury or rehabilitate the bear, therefore they had two options, either euthanize or release her.

 

Given her excellent body condition,175 pounds, Dr. Ramsay suggested giving her a chance. So, they held the bear for a day, gave her two heavy doses of antibiotics, and then released her. They also decided to put a radio-collar on the bear so they could check her condition this winter and evaluate their decision.  

 

Last week, Joe Yarkovich, Jay Carr, and Carrie Gilbert located the bear in a den. The photos above and below reveal what they found.

 

This incident serves as a reminder to all motorists in the national park to obey posted speed limits and drive carefully to avoid collisions with wildlife. This is especially true in the evenings and at night when most wildlife is more active. 

Jay Carr & Carrie Gilbert with the (sedated) Mother & Her Cubs

 

April Hike

 

If you've never hiked Kanati Fork Trail before, spring is a great time to do so. Perhaps the most difficult part about hiking Kanati is finding the trailhead. The best parking area for the trail is located 0.3 mile north of Kephart Prong trailhead on the North Carolina side of Newfound Gap Road. Kephart trailhead is easily distinguished by the long footbridge over the Oconaluftee River. The unmarked Kanati parking area is located on the east side of Newfound Gap Road, though the trail begins on the west side.

Kanati boasts a spectacular array of wildflowers along its 2.9-mile length. A nice way to hike it is in combination with Thomas Divide Trail, placing one car at the Kanati trailhead and the other at Thomas Divide, also on Newfound Gap Road. Together the two trails make for a moderate 4.7-mile (one-way) hike.

 

April Wildflowers

 

Many of the earliest spring wildflowers have already come and gone at the lower elevations, but at the higher elevations they are going strong. Try a hike on the Appalachian Trail, Alum Cave Trail, or a drive to Clingmans Dome to check out the spring blooms.

 

April Birds

 

The earliest spring migrants like vireos and the Louisiana Waterthrush are already here with the main waves of warblers due from the south around mid April. Birding in the Smokies is easier if you do it before all the trees are fully leafed out.

 

GSMA was a force to be reckoned with at the Association of Partners for Public Lands 2012 Media and Partnership Awards.  GSMA won 7 awards in a field of 82 member organizations serving over 500 public lands sites nationwide (including national parks, national forests, Bureau of Land Management sites, US Geological Survey sites, and more).

 

First Place

The New Oconaluftee Visitor Center

Smokies Life Magazine

Smokies Guide: The Official Newspaper of GSMNP

Video Display for Oconaluftee Visitor Center

Great Smoky Mountains National Park 2012 Wall Calendar

 

Honorable Mention

Quilts and Coverlets of the Smokies Book

GSMA Website 

 

Great Smoky Mountains Superintendent Dale A. Ditmanson has announced that the park's proposal to begin collecting for the use of the park's backcountry campsites and shelters has been approved by the National Park Service. This approval clears the way for the park to move forward with developing an online system to collect fees beginning in 2013 for reserving and use of the park's backcountry by overnight hikers and equestrians.

 

The park developed the plan in order to improve its trip-planning and reservation services to users and to expand its backcountry Ranger presence to better protect park resources through enforcement of food-storage and other regulations and improved visitor education regarding Leave-No-Trace principles.

 

The proposal was open for public comment last summer and some 230 written comments and two petitions were received during the comment period. According to Ditmanson, the public comments provided a great deal of constructive input on the concerns park backcountry users had about the fee plan.

 

"Many commenters were under the misconception that the Smokies is legally prohibited from charging user fees. The park is prohibited from charging a toll or license fee from motorists crossing park roads, by language in a 1951 deed under which the ownership of some park roads was transferred from the State of Tennessee to the National Park Service.  But, we have long been authorized to collect user fees for specific activities such as frontcountry camping, weddings, and commercial filming."

 

Now that the proposal has been approved, park managers plan to provide periodic updates as plans for the reservation system evolve.

When all these Santas visited the Smokies in their off season, Heather let them sample the recipes below.  The Mr. and Mrs. Clauses loved them!

 

Honey Cornbread Madeleines

 

2 cups self-rising corn meal

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup Foods of the Smokies Honey

1 3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup melted butter

2 eggs

 

Preheat oven to 400.

Lightly coat madeleine pan with nonstick pan spray.

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Add remaining ingredients stirring just until blended.

Fill each well of madeleine pan 3/4 full of batter.

Bake 15 minutes or to golden brown.

Allow to cool slightly on wire rack and remove.

Serve warm with butter.

These are great with dips, or served with soup beans, chili, etc. 

The recipe makes about 36.

 

Sweet Potato Biscuits

 

2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/3 cup Foods of the Smokies Sorghum Molasses

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 cup cold butter

1 cup mashed sweet potatoes

3 tablespoons buttermilk

2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing on tops prior to baking

 

Preheat oven to 400.

Sift together dry ingredients.

Cut in cold butter with pastry cutter.

Add mashed sweet potatoes and buttermilk, and stir until moistened.

Dough should be slightly sticky, but hold together.

If it does not, sprinkle small amount of biscuit mix over top and stir in to form stiffer dough.

Turn dough onto floured surface and knead once or twice.

Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll dough to 1/2 in. thick.

Coat a cutter or the rim of a glass with flour, and cut out biscuits, reflouring after each one.

Place biscuits with sides touching on a baking sheet, and brush with melted butter.

Bake at 400 for about 11 minutes.

Serve warm with butter, honey, sweet potato, or pumpkin butter, preserves, etc. Makes 12-15 biscuits. 

 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced its spring opening schedule for park facilities and availability of services. Campgrounds and secondary roads opened on Friday, March 9.

 

Roads - The secondary roads that opened on March 9 include: Little Greenbrier, Rich Mountain, Straight Fork/Round Bottom, Forge Creek, Parson Branch, and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Clingmans Dome Road is open. Heintooga Ridge and Balsam Mountain Roads will open on May 11.

 

Operating Hours for Visitor Centers - The three visitor centers are open daily and the operating hours are as follows: Sugarlands Visitor Center, near Gatlinburg, TN, 8-5, Cades Cove Visitor Center, near Townsend, TN, 9-6, and the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, NC, hours will be 8:00-5:00.

 

Recreation.gov provides visitors an opportunity to make reservations to many federally-managed recreation areas, including National Park Service areas, all across the U.S. The park's developed campgrounds of Cataloochee, Elkmont, Cades Cove, Smokemont, and some sites at Cosby are on the reservation system for at least a portion of their seasons. The system allows campers to reserve specific campsites and to make reservations 6 months in advance. Group campsites and picnic pavilions can be reserved up to 12 months in advance. To make reservations at the five campgrounds, and all group campsites, horse camps, and picnic shelters, visitors can go to www.Recreation.gov or, alternatively, book reservations by calling 877-444-6777.

 

Campgrounds open on a staggered basis after March 9. For the five campgrounds on Recreation.gov, reservations are required at Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont for the period from May 15-October 31 (for other dates the three campgrounds are first come, first serve); Cataloochee Campground--all sites must be reserved throughout its season; and Cosby Campground, which has mostly first-come, first-served campsites, has a limited number of reservable sites during its season.

 

Campers have an opportunity to camp in "generator free" campsites at three campgrounds: Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont campgrounds.  The generator-free loop sections of these campgrounds are reservable through Recreation.gov.

 

Group Camping will be available at seven campgrounds (see schedule for opening dates) and reservations must be made through Recreation.gov. Group camping is available at Big Creek, Cataloochee, Cosby, Deep Creek, Elkmont, Cades Cove, and Smokemont.

 

Horse Camps at Anthony Creek, Big Creek, Cataloochee, Round Bottom, and Towstring will open April 1 and reservations are only available through Recreation.gov.

 

Picnic Areas - There are 10 first-come, first-serve picnic areas. Open all year are Cades Cove, Greenbrier, Deep Creek, and Metcalf Bottoms. Chimneys Picnic Area was the first to open on March 15 while Big Creek, Collins Creek, and Cosby Picnic Areas will open shortly after on April 1. Heintooga and Look Rock are scheduled to open on May 11. The park's largest picnic pavilion at Twin Creeks opens on April 1 and reservations are required through Recreation.gov only. Twin Creeks fees range from $35-$75 depending on the number of people.  In addition, picnickers can reserve five other picnic pavilions on Recreation.gov. They are located at Collins Creek, Cosby, Deep Creek, Metcalf Bottoms, and Greenbrier picnic areas. The cost is $20, except at Greenbrier where it is $10.

 

Horseback Riding - The opening dates for the three horseback concessions located on the Tennessee side of the park were:  Smoky Mountain Riding Stable on March 3; Sugarlands Riding Stable on March 9; and Cades Cove on March 10.  In addition to horseback rides which cost $30 per horse per rider for one-hour rides, Cades Cove Riding Stable will offer their customary carriage rides and hay rides, and wheelchair accessible carriage and hay rides. The Smokemont Riding Stable in North Carolina opened March 24.

 

LeConte Lodge, accessible only by trail, opened March 19. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 865/429-5704, fax 865/774-0045 or email reservations@lecontelodge.com. One night at the lodge costs $121 per adult and $85 for children 10 and under (tax not included). The price includes two meals--dinner and breakfast. Day hikers and backpackers can purchase a prepared bag or dining room lunch and snacks/beverages at the lodge. Reservations are required for the dining room lunch.

 

Campground Concessions - The Cades Cove Campground Store opened March 3. The Elkmont Campground concession opened March 9.