Great Smoky Mountains national parks Sugarlands Riding Stables dedication on April 9th

This will be an eventful year for horseback riding stables in the Great Smoky Mountains National park starting with the dedication of the newly built Sugarlands horseback riding stables April 9th 2009 just outside the city limits of Gatlinburg Tennessee within the GSMNP boundary on Newfound Gap Road US 441.

The dedication which will include a ribbon cutting ceremony with Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson and Kenny Kear who is the President of the Sugarlands Riding Stables, Inc a concessionaire with a 10 year concession contract with the GSMNP will begin at 11 am and will include a tour of the facility and light refreshments courtesy of Kenny and Sherri Kear.

Not only is this the first new permanent barn built in the GSMNP since the 1960's when horseback riding concessions began in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, this 10,940 square foot barn has custom designed barn stalls which have sliding dividers that makes cleanup for more efficient and cost effective. This new start of the art barn also includes other custom features including an automated horse watering system.

The new owners of the Cades Cove riding stables have just finished demolishing the old barn that was used by the riding stables previous owners the Meyers for more than 40 years.

Horses in Cades Cove are right now in temporary paddocks and will be moved closer to the new barn as soon as it is completed early this spring.

Horse rentals and visitor center spring schedule for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Now that the days are getting longer and the weather on the Smokies is milder the Great Smoky Mountains national park will be opening up some facilities and switching over to its spring schedule starting March 9th.

Spring mean wildflowers in the GSMNP as well as the opening of horseback riding concessions in the park and longer visitor center hours.

The Spring Great Smoky Mountains Park Visitor Center Schedule:

• Sugarlands Visitor Center Gatlinburg, TN Open 8:00am-5:00pm
• Cades Cove Visitor Center Townsend, TN Open 9:00 am-5:00pm
• Oconaluftee Visitor Center Cherokee, NC Open 8:00am-4:30pm

Now that winter is leaving the Smoky Mountains you can now start to rent horses again in the National Park. The horse rental concessions open in a staggered schedule starting with the Smoky Mountain Riding Stable near Gatlinburg Tennessee which will open this Saturday the 10th.

The Cades Cove Riding Stables in Cades Cove near Townsend TN opens next Thursday March 25th and the Sugarlands Riding Stable near the Gatlinburg TN entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains national park will open March 17th.

The last riding stable to open is the North Carolina Smokemont Riding Stable starts up April 1. Smokemont near the Cherokee entrance and has a wonderful waterfall tour you can take by horseback.

All openings days of the riding stables in the national park are based upon the weather cooperating. The rate for riding a horse in the Smoky Mountains national park is $20 per rider per hour.

For those who don't care to ride their own horse, you can enjoy either a boggy ride for ($7.50 per person or a hayride for $6 per person in the Cades Cove Riding Stables. There are also limited ranger led hayrides for $8 per person.

More horseback riding information, locations and rules.