After seeking large growth trees for weeks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park I was moved by this tiny evergreen so weighed down by what was barely a finger nail size clump of snow I found on the top of Mount Le Conte in and area predominantly dominated by pine trees.
May we all remember the small tender one born on this day and those who celebrate him.
Merry Christmas,
Chris Hibbard
Your Smokies
People who want to ride a horse in the Great Smoky Mountains National park can still do so at the Smoky Mountain Stables located on 321 west of the city of Gatlinburg even though all the stables are normally closed this late in the season.
Until the end of the month for only $20 horseback riders can take advantage of the 1 hour guided horse back rides in the Great Smoky Mountains national park from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm 7 days a week. Excessive snow, ice or extreme cold can keep the stables from opening on a given day.
To find out more about renting a horse in the Smoky Mountains National Park check out the National Park horseback riding stables page and if the weather is questionable be sure to call (865) 436-5634 to confirm that the Smoky Mountain Stables will be open.
Newfound Gap Road (441) which runs through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park connecting Cherokee North Carolina with Gatlinburg Tennessee remains open despite the light dusting of snow and ice in upper elevations of the national park.
The national park service is keeping a close eye on road conditions and is warning drivers of potential ice on Newfound Gap road.
Though most of the park will warm to the lower and mid 40s today, upper elevations in the Great Smoky Mountains will remain at or below freezing and plummeting temperatures tonight will freeze any melting snow and ice and drives should use extreme caution in the late afternoon and evening hours.
Although The weather in the Smoky Mountains National Park will remains seasonably cold and areas of the park such as Cades Cove, Elkmont and what is open in Roaring Fork near Gatlinburg should be safe to drive in and traffic in these areas is expected to be light so enjoy the beauty of winter in the Smokies!
It is that time of the year again where the National Park service closes Cades Cove to vehicles while they spray the hemlock trees close enough to the road which can be reached in order to fight the invasive exotic pest the hemlock woolly adelgid. While the Cades Cove loop was closed in late November of 2006, this year the closures will be in the first week of December.
As long as the weather is conducive to spraying the hemlock trees in Cades Cove which are infested with the woolly adelgid, the whole 11 mile Cades Cove loop will be closed this Wednesday December 5th. If you wish to hike the Cades Cove loop you can do so but cars and bicycles are forbidden to be on the road.
If all goes as planned on Thursday December 6th only the far section of the Cades Cove Loop past Hyatt Lane will be closed to motorist and bicyclists. Hikers can access the entire loop on the second day of spraying.
Spraying is one of three methods that the Great Smoky Mountains National park has been successfully using to fight the woolly adelgid from destroying all of the hemlock tees in the park.
The spaying with national park service trucks will only be done as long as a heavy rain or freezing temperatures are not expected during or immediately after the spraying is to be done.
To check on the status of the Cades Cove road closure you may call the national park service general information number at (865)436-1200.
