How is the Government Shutdown Affecting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on day 8?

As day 8 unfolds of the government shutdown that closed the Great Smoky Mountains national park, we seem to be stuck in this bad situation with no immediate end in sight.

To make matters worse, if such a thing is possible, almost daily vandalism, petty theft and defiance has become an ongoing issue in the Great Smoky Mountains national park as well as in other national parks, historical sites and monuments around the nation.

Worst hurt here in the Smokies are the 2 great organizations that help support the park through the kindness and good will of donations and purchases made to support the park.

Both the Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association have had donation and cash boxes destroyed. The cost to repair or replaces 2 of the boxes damaged will easily exceed $5,000.

Why are these donation boxes so expensive? Sadly people often try to pilfer from these boxes and often when the boxes are emptied, a variety burglary tools are inside.

It takes a lot of sophisticated custom engineering and very solid box building construction to keep the thieves out and yet still let the money come in smoothly.

There also remains some confusion and what has been called by some "mixed signals" as to what is open in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and what is not during this government shutdown.

The only roads open in the Great Smoky Mountains park are the entire length of Newfound Gap Road from Cherokee to Gatlinburg and the Gatlinburg Bypass from Newfound Gap Road in Gatlinburg to the Spur.

The only road outside of the Great Smoky Mountain national park that is maintained by the national park service that remains open is the very well traveled Spur section of the Foothills Parkway which connects the city of Gatlinburg with the city of Pigeon Forge Tennessee.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Road Closures/Conditions

Weather related and seasonal park road closures normally mean that bicycle and pedestrian traffic is allowed. The government shutdown prohibits any use of the parks roads, facilities and trail systems.

The press release Sunday by Chief Ranger Clay Jordan stated:

While most overlooks and pull-offs along the roadway are open to accommodate safe traffic flow over the mountains, facilities and trails remain closed.

He also stated "We ask that the public voluntarily respect the closure of the backcountry for everyone's safety," and "With less staff on duty, we do not have the personnel on hand to sufficiently respond to emergency situations in the backcountry. We understand the desire of visitors to hike during this beautiful time of year and we are hopeful that the park will soon reopen."

There are clear signage and barricades to keep people away from the Chimneys Hiking Trails where reconstruction has stopped as well as the Alum Cave Trailhead. Parking is only allowed in designated pull outs and parking areas so the intent of this extra "enforcement" is quite clear and should be headed. Tickets have been and will continue to be given out for non-compliance of closures.

Remember the Park Rangers you come into contact with are not being paid and most of their acquaintances are furloughed as well. Many working in the park are park families too meaning the loss of 2 or more incomes in the same family.

As much as I understand the heartache of those that work as a career or volunteer in the park, interviewing an employee of one of the stables last Sunday, I now really understand better the extent of the extreme hardships the employees are going through right now. Let's, hope their landlords and finance companies do as well.

Luckily for tourists, there are plenty of stables where you can go horseback riding outside the park and they all are seeing a booming business already and expect it to pick up even more in the next 3 weeks as we hit peak tourism for the Smokies during peak leaf season.

Though the National Park Service attempted to keep all 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway open from North Carolina to Virginia, further road damage to a section of roadway is closing the parkway from the from NC191/Brevard Road (about Milepost 393) to Hendersonville Road/25s in South Asheville (Milepost 389) until the Federal Highway Administration can finish repairs hopefully before the end of the month.

Even with this closure on the Blue Ridge Parkway, drivers can still enjoy about a 100 miles of uninterrupted scenic beauty all the way from Gatlinburg Tennessee to this point where you would have to detour to continue on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Best case estimates call for this section of the Blue Ridge Parkway to be repaired by the end of the week of the 21st. We would all be happier if it was sooner.

As stated before all picnic areas in the Great Smoky Mountains national park are closed, but you can eat in any of the pull-outs. Cooking, grilling and open flames are forbidden in the Great Smoky Mountains national park other than in designated picnic areas, campsites and campgrounds.

Fall color is more apparent by the day in all of the higher ridge-lines and the past 2 nights have seen temperatures just under 50 degrees in the lower elevations of the park. Add to this the light rainfall we received the night before last and we have the prime making for an extraordinary bright and along lasting peak fall right around the corner.

The next week looks like more of the same, bright sunny days climbing up into the 70s during the day and dropping down to the high 40's.

If you can believe very long range forecasts, it looks as though weather in the Smokies will be nice for the month with maybe 4 days where there is a possibility of rain.

There is even a chance of a light dusting of snow on the peaks early the week of the 20th which would make for a stunning fall photograph.

Related Government GSMNP and BRP Closure Articles:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Reopen Tomorrow at 12 Noon. - Posted 10-15-13

Great Smoky Mountains National Park May Reopen Tomorrow – Maybe - Posted 10-15-13

Government Shutdown Affecting Great Smoky Mountains National Park Day 14 - Posted 10-14-13

How Government Shutdown is Affecting Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Posted 10-08-13

Update to Government Closure of Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Posted 10-05-13

Shutdown Info Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway - Posted 10-03-13

Government Shutdown: Road + Facility Closures Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Posted 10-01-13

12 miles of Blue Ridge Parkway in Mount Pisgah - Asheville Area Closed Due to Landslide Danger

Weeks of rain has taken its toll on the Blue Ridge Parkway at what is the worst possible time for a closure of a stretch of roadway in the Mount Pisgah Asheville area as peak leaf season is coloring the slopes and valleys of North Carolina.

Crews are working right now to erect temporary barriers in hopes that the most of the roadway will be opened back up Friday for the 2nd weekend of peak leaf season on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The area that will remain closed would be the Ferrin Knob Tunnel Number 1.

The slope that is causing all this grief has been closely monitored by the park service since it first failed in 2002 and had been repaired and according to Bambi Teague, the Blue Ridge Parkway's chief of resource management "It has been slipping and sliding since then, but in the past three weeks, it has been moving way more than anyone expected it would" which prompted the closure.

The picture above was taken 2 days ago on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and shows how fall color has already painted the slopes and valleys in reds, yellows and oranges between US 441 and US 19. This stretch is unaffected by the closure and leaf peepers traveling from Asheville should use US 276 near Brevard or NC 151 from Candler.

Smoky Mountains camping club forming in Asheville

Camping in the Smoky Mountains can't be beaten and The Good Sam Club is looking to form a new chapter in Asheville area in Western North Carolina to start camping as a group in April with places and times yet to be determined.

Join the Good Sam Club and you can be part of the great fun they will have camping in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina!

Asheville Parks and Greenways Foundation accepts $5,000 grant

The Asheville youth program Teens Outside! run by the Asheville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department was just given a $5,000 grant which the Asheville Parks and Greenways Foundation accepted on behalf of the City by outdoor clothing and equipment supplier REI.com.

The Asheville Teens Outside! program is a fantastic opportunity for kids to be able to experience outdoor recreation activities in the Asheville N Carolina area. This program is presently limited to youth in the 6th to 9th grades and is very affordable.

About REI
REI is a well known name by outdoor sports enthusiasts and they have worked with other educational outreach programs to help encourage our youth to better appreciate and respect nature and enjoy outdoor activities.

Not only are their programs a great way of protecting and promoting local wilderness areas through education, they are building a legacy of future customers who will appreciate the great outdoors and the REI sporting goods company's environmental position.

Beside the grants that REI offers they also offer a line of Eco Sensitive clothing that utilize materials and manufacturing processes that are designed to lessen environmental impact.

REI is planning to open a store by October 17th at 31 Schenck Parkway in South Asheville.

2008 Visitation down in Smokies - but for how long?

Higher gas prices and food prices along with other necessities, climbing unemployment, credit problems and now the fiasco in the stock market is making an already soft tourist season even softer here in the Smokies.

Luckily for businesses in the Smoky Mountains, the costs here are lower here than most other vacation destinations and since there is so much to do, tourists don't have to drive far to find something that fits everyone's taste and budget.

With air travel prices sky rocketing, economy class tickets are expected to increase even further with the heavy loss of the more profitable business class travelers (Lehman Brothers alone booked $115 million in air travel last year). Air travel for a family to a vacation destination here in the US may no longer be affordable for many more Americans.

Luckily for the Smokies, most of the population in the US is just a day's drive away so people looking to travel on a tighter budget can still do so by driving to the Smoky Mountains.

One of the most popular Smokies destinations is the Great Smoky Mountains national park which does not charge any entrance fees, exhibit fees, guided tour fees or for parking anywhere inside the 800 square mile large biosphere.

More families are finding out how exciting the national park is where they can picnic, hike, bike or take a guided tour for free. For those who have limited mobility or don't want to get that close to nature, there are hundreds of miles or spectacular roads in and around the park where you can see the beautiful scenery without every leaving your car.

While there are still cheap hotel rooms to be found in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Cherokee and the Asheville area, for families it is often far cheaper to spend your vacation in a cabin - it is certainly far more comfortable!

Not only can you prepare and serve your family home cooked meals in your cabin - it's a great way to save gas and avoid paying the high restaurant prices. Most rentals cabins now have amenities such as hot tubs, pool tables, DVD players and some even have media rooms, video game consoles and other ways to keep the clan entertained - for free!

Much of November and some of December is still considered "in season" and is not priced at peak rates so there are still bargains to be found.

Plenty of the outlet malls and stores here in the Smoky Mountains have been slashing prices to attract the tourists who come here to save some money on their Christmas and holiday shopping.

Just strolling down the street to people watch here in the Smokies or listen to live music is loads of fun. Shorty millions of lights will be sparkling and twinkling away through the night in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville for Winterfest 2008.

Close to Christmas there will also be carolers walking down the streets of Gatlinburg in period costumes from the 1800's entertaining all those that they pass with impromptu performances in local stores. The price? Free and tipping is not allowed!

The Smokies have seen a drop in visitation; but the drop that we have seen is far smaller than most popular tourist destinations in the US. We also see that many who live in and near the Smokies are coming back to explore the Great Smoky Mountains.

Are you changing your vacation and holiday travel plans? How do you save money while you are on vacation? We want to know!

So how long will this drop in visitation in the Smokies last? Crystal balls are for sale in some of the gift shops along the parkway and I bet they are on sale.

Gas Shortage sill an issue for some stations in Asheville

The fallout from Hurricane Ike is still being felt in the Smokies. While gas supplies are no longer an issue in Tennessee, some stations in Asheville have little or no gas, high prices and long lines.

We are warned it can still be a week or 2 before gas supplies are back to normal in Asheville and other areas in North Carolina.

In the Tennessee Smokies gas prices can still vary by 20 cents or more a gallon in the same town so shopping around is still a good idea.

Gas running low and stations price gouging running high in the Smokies due to hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike may be almost 1,000 miles away but drivers in the Smokies are getting pounded by the storm as well with price gouging and gas shortages throughout Tennessee and North Carolina.

Reports started coming in yesterday of gas shortages and price increases in the Asheville area, but these reports of drivers finding it hard to find gas or complaining about increases of 50 cents or more a gallon within minutes.

The highest price we have heard of so far in Pigeon Forge was $4.69 a gallon - astonishing considering it as $3.42 gallon a week ago.

There will be a huge influx of drivers coming into Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Gatlinburg to take park of the Rod Run. Lets' hope they are all gassed up before they get here.

Tourists Flock to NC Smoky Mountains and spend more than ever.

The North Carolina Smoky Mountains have experienced a huge increase in tourism seeing some 45 million visitors last year who have spent an excess of 15 billion dollars making North Carolina rank 6th in the nation for tourism.

Tourists are finding that the Smokies offer an exceptional value close to home and more and more affluent people who normally vacationed far away from home are opting to enjoy their vacations closer to home in the Smokies.

North Carolina is benefiting in a big way bringing in $1.3 billion in local and state taxes as tourism has increased more than 50% in the past 10 years alone. Last years 8.3% increase in tourist dollars spent in NC was also a huge benefit to a myriad of local business from North Carolina cabin companies, hotels, restaurants, gift shops and more.

North Carolina hotels in Asheville occupancy rates have gone from 64% in 2005 to $66% in 2006 brining in sales of $156 million - $18 million more than the prior year. Vacation and cabin rentals companies in North Carolina have also seen significant increases in the number of visitors and the lengths of stay.

Weaverville North Carolina emergency call system launching in March 2007

The township of Weaverville North Carolina located near Asheville in the Smoky Mountains is about to launch their CodeRED emergency notification system so that town officials can contact Weaverville resident in case of an emergency.

The CodeRED automated emergency notification system would call up to 60,000 residents an hour and warm them if there is a potential danger and can be used by the police, fire and public works officials. The system is capable of contacting residents on a specific street, neighborhood or the entire town of Weaverville NC and the Weaverville fire district.

At Your Smokies we encourage all residents of Weaverville North Carolina to log onto the Weaverville town web site and fill out the free CodeRED emergency notification registration and make sure that your home, cell and work numbers are listed. The town of Weaverville is still updating its database of emergency contact phone numbers in anticipation of the system launch in March.

According to Town Council member Don Hallingse “Whether it’s a waterline break, a missing child, we can get a hold of the people we need to instantly." He went on to say "It’s definitely important for us to have this, so, in case of an emergency, we can get a hold of the folks that are affected by what’s going on".