Snow, ice and more closures in the GSMNP

Snow and more ice prompted the Great Smoky Mountains national park to close even more roadways deemed unsafe because of winter conditions:

• Gatlinburg bypass section of the Foothills Parkway
• GSMNP entrance road in Cosby Tennessee
• GSMNP entrance road in Greenbrier Tennessee

Besides some trails accessible and the visitor center in the Sugarlands and the trails in the lower part of Cherokee Orchard Road in Gatlinburg or the parking area at the Townsend Wye, there is now no access to any part of the Great Smoky Mountains national park in Tennessee.

Anyone venturing into the park be prepaid for brutally cold weather with high's below freezing and in upper elevations below zero or at most single digits.

On Cosby Festival for 2008 at the Moonshine Capital of the World

The 11th annual On Cosby festival is being held from October 17th to the 19th in the Moonshine capital of the world: Cosby in Tennessee's Cocke County.

The temperature is perfect and the leaves in the trees are bursting forth with showy fall colors and the best value in family friendly Smoky Mountain entertainment is going to take place against beautiful backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains at the Cosby visitor's center on 321.

With so much to see and do all for the price of parking - which goes to the local fire department the On Cosby Festival is a must for anyone in the Smokies this weekend.

Exhibitors and vendors were setting up today and hopefully the weather will hold out tomorrow as the school kids will flood the festival playing games, watching demonstration and musical entertainment.

Friday October 17th 2008 On Cosby festival schedule

• 11:00 Pottery with Sandy learn the basics
• 11:30 Native American musical instruments with Karen Lancaster
• 11:00 Native American resources (stage)
• 12:00 Walking sticks with the wood wizard Learn to carve one using a spoon and choreboy
• 12:00 Cosby show choir (stage)
• 12:30 Native American musical instruments with Karen Lancaster
• 12:30 Corn meal grinding - farm machinery
• 1:00 pottery with Sandy
• 1:00 David Salyers presents Uncle Sam
• 1:30 Spinning with Jan Harris
• 1:30 Meth lab demonstration (stage)
• 2:00 Walking sticks with the wood wizard
• 2:30 Rug hooking with Jan Harris How to make your own design
• 3:00 Pottery with sandy
• 3:00 Lap looms with Jan Harris
• 4:00 Walking sticks with the wood wizard
• 5:00 Cinnamon girls (stage)
• 5:00-5:30 talent show registration $5
• 6:00 talent show

Saturday October 18th 2008 On Cosby festival schedule

• 10:00-10:30 Jane Smith
• 10:30-11:00 Dietra Green
• 11:00-11:30 Stoney Creek cloggers
• 11:30-12:00 Roy Poore and Penny Grooms
• 12:00-1:00 Steve Brown and Hurricane Ridge
• 1:00-1:30 Tennessee pride cloggers
• 1:30-2:00 Macedonia Baptist church choir
• 2:00-2:30 Dean Haney and Big Creek Gospel Bluegrass
• 2:30-3:00 Wanda Todd
• 3:00-3:30 Wild West dance club
• 3:30-4:00 Crystal Lee
• 4:00-4:30 Marcie Wilds McMahan
• 4:30-5:00 Candice Keller
• 5:00-6:00 Mountain Edge
• 6:00 sharing stories of the past

Sunday October 19th 2008 On Cosby festival schedule

• 11:00-12:00 Feed my sheep church service
• 12:00-12:30 Sheree Ramsey
• 12:30-1:00 Laurel Dunn
• 1:00-2:00 Longshot - A new brand of country "Southern Rock"
• 2:00-2:30 Margie Lee
• 2:30-3:00 Randall Reece
• 3:30-4:00 Missy Ellis
• 4:00-4:30 Hannah Rowland
• 4:30-5:00 Acoustigals - Tracie Howerton and Mary Beale

See you there at the On Cosby Festival!

Foothills Parkway Closed due to Fire Started by Lightning

Foothills Parkway East near Cosby Tennessee is now closed due to a wildfire created by lightning from a storm this Monday. At this point the fire is now contained but the road is still closed.

Due to last nights storm you can expect that there can be downed trees in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and the surrounding area. There may be possible closures of some of the hiking trails and roads in and around the GSMNP so drive carefully and hike or ride horses with the understanding that a trail may be impassable and you may have to return the way you hiked in.

Ticks in the Smoky Mountains can lead to Rocky Mountain Fever for Hikers and Campers.

I hike a lot in the Great Smoky Mountains national park - on average at least 10 -15 miles a day 7 days a week - year round so I am used to dealing with wildlife big and small. I have noticed that this year there seems to be more ticks in the backcountry of the Great Smoky Mountains than I have ever had to deal with before.

Though I have not found one on myself in more than a week I have removed 9 ticks from my skin and clothing this year after hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. My previous record year was 6 where 3 of which were on the same pants leg in one day so obviously there is a higher concentration of ticks this year in the Smokies - or I must taste much better to them!

The ticks I picked up while hiking this year were from all over the place: Beard Cane Trail in Abrams Creek, Newton Bald Trail near Deep Creek, Grape ridge trail in Greenbrier, Hen Wallow Falls in Cosby, the field by Hyatt Lane in Cades Cove, Little Greenbrier Trail near Wears Valley, 20 mile loop trail in Twenty Mile, Hyatt Ridge in Straight Fork and one from my trunk where I keep my hiking shoes.

Every night when I get home I am sure to check myself for ticks, however all of the ticks I found on myself I found either in the field or in one case in my car while driving. While it is suggested to always wear long pants tucked into boots (some people even duct tape the pants legs), I usually wear light colored khaki shorts and long socks and look down at my legs often while hiking or check myself after going through high grass or brush.

Ticks - not black bears scare me. I moved from the northeast almost 20 years ago as Lyme's disease ran rampant up there. Lyme's disease which is spread by deer ticks kept me from camping and enjoying the great outdoors after watching fellow camper and hikers get deathly ill or disabled from the disease.

Unfortunately here in the Smokies we have a high instance of Rocky Mountain spotted fever which is spread by ticks. The key to reduce your risk is avoid areas that may contain ticks, use insect repellent, wear light colored clothing - long sleeves and long pants do help, and find and remove ticks as quickly as possible.

While there are old wives tales about tick removal, the only sure way is with the help of good tweezers. With the tweezers you can grab the head and remove the whole tick so the head does not break off and stay embedded in the skin.

You should wash the skin around the tick with an antiseptic and save the tick by placing it into a Zip loc bag and if possible freezing it with a date on the bag. If you get ill, bring the tick to the doctor or hospital so they can determine if the illness came from the tick by culturing the tick and what illness it was carrying.

The good news is that most people hiking or camping in the Great Smoky Mountains national park will never see a tick. Ticks are usually only very active in warmer weather.

Most roads closed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park due to winter storm

Old man winter blew in hard and with high elevations in the Great Smoky Mountains National park measuring as mush as 17 inches of new snow accumulation the major roads in the national park are all closed including Newfound Gap Road (us 441) a major through road connecting Cherokee North Carolina and Gatlinburg Tennessee.

The following roads are closed due to snow and ice the Great Smoky Mountains National Park:

• Newfound Gap Road (US 441) TN to NC
• Foothills Parkway East in Cocke County Cosby / Newport area
• Foothills Parkway West in Blount County west of Townsend
• Gatlinburg Bypass in TN
• Little River Road in TN
• Laurel Creek Road in TN west of the Tremont Road Junction
• Cades Cove Loop Road in TN
• Greenbrier Road TN
• Cataloochee Entrance Road NC
• Old Route 284 (Big Creek to Cataloochee)

Even though there was a minor accident on the spur connecting Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee as of now the road remains open. Driver who wish to use the Spur are cautioned that there are still slushy spots even though the road has been heavily salted and drivers should use extreme caution.

Best advice when there is accumulation on the roads is to only drive when absolutely necessary.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Meeting on Foothills Parkway Section 8b

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is going to conduct 2 meetings 1 on March 19 and the other on March 20th in regard to a 14 mile stretch of parkway to run from Pittman Center to Cosby, Tennessee in Sevier and Cocke Counties referred to as Section 8B.

The Foothill Parkway Master Plan was prepared in 1968 as a 72-mile scenic parkway traversing the northern and western perimeters of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Foothills Parkway was designed as a 2 lane moderate speed road with scenic pull offs as it winds its way through the mountains and foothills of the Smoky Mountains.

As of today the 23 miles of The Foothills Parkway which is complete is one of the nicest roads in the Smoky Mountains and includes a 6 mile section running from I40 to Cosby TN and another 17 miles section connects Chilhowee Lake to Walland, Tennessee.

Presently 15 more miles of the parkway are under construction from Walland to Wears Valley, Tennessee.

One of the 3 remaining sections left to be built is section 8B (see map of the Foothills Parkway below) and in accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) guidelines, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is currently being prepared to document all of the anticipated impacts that may occur to both the natural and human environments during the development of section 8B.

Click for full size Foothills Parkway Map

Beginning this spring a study team is going to be deployed so that they can conduct fieldwork in the proposed 8B section of the Foothills Parkway right-of-way to access and gather information on community and visual resources, natural resources, geologic resources and historic and archaeological resources.

The goal of these studies is when a new EIS is developed it can be determined what course of action can be recommended:

• No construction to occur in the whole stretch
• Construction of a 2 lane roadway through the entire 14-mile section
• Construction of a trail instead of a roadway through the entire section
• Construction of a combination of both a 2 lane roadway and trail

The 2 public meetings are so that the general public can learn more about the project and be bale to make comments about the project as well as discuss the project with the study team.

Both public meetings will present the same information and are scheduled to occur from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

The first meeting on March 19th, 2007 will be held at:
Cosby High School, 3318 Cosby Highway in Cosby, Tennessee

The 2nd meeting on March 20th, 2007 will be held at:
Gatlinburg-Pittman High School, 150 Proffitt Road in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

According to Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson "These public workshops will provide the opportunity to review various concepts that have surfaced regarding this section of the Foothills Parkway. We want the public to tell us what other concepts they think need to be considered and what concerns they may have about the possible natural, cultural, economic and other impacts."

This is only the first phase of the entire the EIS process which will take 3 years and by late 2008 a Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected by The National Park Service. It should also be noted that funding must be appropriated in order to implement any selected alternative.

Want to learn more? You can contact the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at (865) 436-1207 or check out the Foothills Parkway Section 8B Project at the national park web site at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/parkmgmt/index.htm. The national park service is waiting to hear from you!

Campgrounds opening in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

After hiking, camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the second most popular pastime for the outdoorsmen who flock to this most popular national park and now that the worst of winter is now over, the campgrounds in the park will start opening as of tomorrow March 9th.

From May 15 until October 31 the Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont campgrounds can be reserved online at www.Recreation.Gov or you can call (877) 444-6777 toll free. The fee schedule varies by site as the more primitive campgrounds which are smaller are $14 per night and the more developed campgrounds are $17 per night. In the same period reservation campgrounds are $20 per night. If you are looking to take advantage of the riverside camping in Elkmont Tennessee the fee is $23 per night.

The chart below show opening dates for the campgrounds in the national park as well as the fee structure.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Campground opening dates and fee schedule
Campgrounds	Nightly Fee	Opening Date	Group Sites
Abrams Creek TN	$14	March 9
Balsam Mountain NC	$14	May 11
Big Creek NC	$14	March 9	March 9
Cades Cove TN *	$17, $20	Year-round	March 9
Cataloochee NC	$17	March 9	March 9
Cosby TN	$14	March 9	March 9
Deep Creek NC	$17	April 1	April 1
Elkmont TN *	$17, $20	March 9	March 9
Look Rock TN	$14	May 11
Smokemont NC *	$17, $20	Year-round	March 9
*during the reservation period May 15-October 31 fee is $20 per site. Riverside sites at Elkmont are $23 during reservation period only.

For those who don't want to camp in the backcountry but want to experience peace and quiet while camping, 3 campgrounds in the national park: Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont have "generator free" campsites.

To go generator-free in the Cades Cove TN campground there is are generator-free loop sections. In the Elkmont campgrounds there are generator free sites but there is no generator free loop. Over in Smokemont on the North Carolina side of the park loops A, B, and C are "tent only" so there are no generators. If you have an RV but wish to go generator free you may reserve in the tent only area.

If group camping is more your style then you can choose from Big Creek, Cataloochee, Cosby, Deep Creek, Elkmont, Cades Cove, or Smokemont. The cost ranges from $26 to $65 per site per night and reservations must be made online at www.Recreation.Gov.

Time for a picnic in the Great Smoky Mountains national Park

With the warming Smokies weather, the Great Smoky Mountains national park is about to open some of its picnic areas and starting its spring schedule. While some of the picnic areas such as Cades Cove, Metcalf Bottoms, Chimney Tops, Cosby, Greenbrier, Deep Creek, and Big Creek are open year round, others will be opening on a staggered schedule.

Friday March 9th will see the opening of the Collins Creek Picnic Area and on Sunday March 11th both Heintooga and Look Rock are scheduled to open. If you are looking to use the national parks largest pavilion located in Twin Creeks, you will have to wait until May 1st.

While there are 10 first come first served picnic areas in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, some picnic pavilions can be reserved online. The picnic areas with pavilions that can be reserved are located in Twin Creeks (fee range from $35-$75 depending on the number of people in your party), Collins Creek, Cosby, Deep Creek, and Metcalf Bottoms (all at $20 per pavilion) or Greenbrier (only $10).

To reserve a picnic pavilion on line visit www.Recreation.Gov.