Newfound Gap Road Now Open to Cars

Great Smoky Mountains national parks main through road Newfound Gap Road, has finally been opened back up by the park service. Drivers are cautioned that there is still ice and snow on the roadway and to drive with extreme caution.

Because the road surface is less than optimal, buses have been asked to stay off Newfound Gap Road at this time. Plunging temperatures tonight will refreeze and snow melt which may closes again if road conditions deteriorate any further.

Refreezing snow melt is particularly problem some on the Tennessee side above the Alum Cave Hiking Trail parking area in the last 1-1/2 below the gap which is more shaded and steep.

No other major roads in the park have reopened at this time but some are expected to open tomorrow.

Current Road Closures and Openings in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Memorial Fund Set Up For Slain Bull Elk #21 to Support the Elk Bugle Corps Volunteer Program

Last week's tragic poaching of the Great Smoky Mountains national parks Bull Elk #21 in the Cataloochee Valley outraged many people. Nature lovers, photographers and responsible hunters come from far and wide to enjoy the elk and the natural beauty of Cataloochee Valley.

The National Park has recognized how instrumental the all volunteer Elk Bugle Corp is in protecting our Elk, educating visitors about the elk and responsible wildlife viewing.

The Friends of the Smokies - a nonprofit fund-raising organization which raises funds for projects such as the Elk Restoration Program in the Great Smoky Mountains national park has set up a memorial fund for bull Elk #21 to fund the Cataloochee Valley Elk Bugle Corps and Your Smokies has just made the first donation to get this fund started.

While I would love to see other large donations to this very good cause, the Elk Bugle Corp would be glad to receive donations of any size made to the memory of Bull Elk #21. Donations will fund the Elk Bugle Corps most pressing needs and every little bit helps so please give what you can to the Bull Elk #21 Memorial Fund.

To Donate Click Here

Default Donation is $10 but you can increase or decrease the amount

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible as allowable by law.

Every dollar collected helps protect the parks precious resources and allows Elk Bugle Corp members to show you the beauty and share the historic significance of the Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Related Elk in the GSMNP Stories

• Alleged Poacher of Bull Elk 21 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park charged, but is it enough?
• Memorial Fund For Slain Bull Elk #21 to Support the Elk Bugle Corps Volunteer Program
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park Elk Poaching Suspect Confesses and Arrest will be made
• Elk poaching takes place in Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.
• Elk Reintroduction in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs more Volunteers for Elk Bugle Corp Program

The Great Smoky Mountains National Parks 75th Anniversary Rededication and Newfound Gap: Great Memories for a Lifetime

I have been waiting for this day when the Great Smoky Mountains National parks would have a rededication ceremony and the Roosevelt Monument at Newfound Gap in celebration do the parks 75th Anniversary for years, and with all my expectations I can't believe I was not let down.

This dedication ceremony was to be a modern day interpretation of the 1940 dedication event in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which was attended by president FDR, was the grand finale of the major events the GSM national park was hosting for the 75th anniversary of the formation of this park.

Almost 2,000 people attended the Rededication Ceremony held at the Roosevelt Monument which straddles the Tennessee and the North Carolina border in the Newfound Gap parking area of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Many of those who attended this historic event have deep roots in the Smoky Mountains and most of them where either born in what was to become the Great Smoky Mountains national park or are descendants of those who lived here.

Some of those very hardy men who built the Great Smoky Mountains national parks trails, bridges and roads who were members of the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) attended this event.

By now these men have become old familiar faces to me as they have been guests of honor numerous here in the past year such as at the CCC dedication ceremony at the Sugarlands Visitor Center where a plaque honoring the Civilian Conservation Corp was unveiled and at the groundbreaking for the new Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

As with all the other ceremonies, CCC corpsman Clarence Allison, the 3rd man down in the picture below wore his original uniform and hat.

Today some of those who were here for that historic occasion 75 years ago proudly wore ribbons as well as those who lived in what is now the park and those who built the roads, bridges and more than 800 miles of hiking trails that crisscross the park.

Lots of changes have occurred in the Great Smoky Mountains the past 75 years since the men on the CCC help turned it into the land stunning place it now is and most have them have been for the good of the national park.

Technology allowed us to make cell phone calls, check our email, update our Twitter accounts or transmit a signal via satellites so that people outside the park could see what was going on. Just think at the 1st dedication in 1940 wire was run in trees and across bushes and up the mountains in order to transmit this historic occasion.

75 years ago when 100 old Gudger Palmer (pictured above) was only 25 and lived in Cataloochee North Carolina, there used to be barely any black bear, wild turkey and white deer inhabiting the area which just became the Great Smoky Mountains national park. These and many other animals now flourish and even the casual observer in the park should see them most of the year.

Then there are the animals that have been wiped out of existence in what was once more than 6,000 private tracts of lands. Today the park service has brought the river otter, peregrine falcon and my favorite: the North American elk back into this area and they are all now thriving in this beautiful biosphere.

While this was a day for historic speeches made by politicians promising to make things better and of course the thrill of seeing Dolly Parton perform live, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park itself was the star of the day.

As our bus pulled up past the rain clouds up to the Newfound Gap Parking area, a lone tree just below the road displayed red and yellow tinges on some of its leaves - a gentle sign of fall color that would soon grace the Smoky Mountains.

As we disembarked from the shuttle the cooler air laced with the smell of fir washed over us moved the 3 American flags and the North Carolina and Tennessee state flags on top of the Roosevelt Monument wave in the wind. The only other decorations were 7 white and blue banners draped over the monument which also came alive as the wind came across the gap.

Sure the 75th anniversary of the original dedication of the Great Smoky Mountains national park was a great opportunity for politicians to press flesh with constituents and get to work in some impressive sound bites, nothing could beat the parks performance as the weather cleared up just as the program began and deteriorated with clouds moving in as Dolly Parton closed the event with her last song.

I had been waiting for this event for years all the while reflecting how wonderful this park is and I was not disappointed. I guess I must now look forward to the 100th anniversary dedication and hope that I will still be hiking as I do now in my 70s and reveling in the Great Smoky Mountain national parks beauty.

Limited Seats Available for Great Smoky Mountains National Parks 75th rededication

If you want to be part of history with the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks 75th anniversary rededication at Newfound Gap on September 2nd straddling the North Carolina and Tennessee border, the time to act to get tickets is now as they probably will not last until the deadline of Monday August 24th.

While many were hoping that President Obama was going to be at the dedication since no other President has visited the park since it was dedicated by FDR at this very same spot, there is till a very impressive list of distinguished guests and dignitaries including:

• 75th Anniversary Ambassador to the Great Smoky Mountains national park Dolly Parton
• U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
• Governor of North Carolina Bev Perdue
• Governor of Tennessee Phil Bredesen
• Principal Chief Michele Hicks of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians
• U.S. Senator of North Carolina Richard Burr
• U.S. Senator of North Carolina Kay Hagan
• U.S. Senator of Tennessee Bob Corker
• U.S. Senator of Tennessee Lamar Alexander
• Congressmen Heath Shuler of North Carolina
• Congressmen John J. Duncan, Jr.
• Congressmen Phil Roe of Tennessee

Other important guest of honor will include other local and state elected officials, pre-park residents, and people who attended the original 1940 dedication and Civilian Conservation Corps members who built the roadways and trails in the park 75 years ago.

Governor Bev Perdue the of North Carolina who is at this time attending this event has been conspicuously absent from all of the other 75th anniversary Celebrations in the Great Smoky Mountains national park including the Governors Proclamation event at Clingmans Dome and the Oconaluftee visitors center ground breaking. Both of these events took place on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Though the program will start at 11:15 am with patriotic music being played by both the Gatlinburg-Pittman High School (TN) and the Swain County High School (NC) and is slated to end around 1 pm, expect to spend the entire day as moving 2,000 people up Newfound gap road and back down will present challenges. Buses will start as early as 8 pm and run until around 3 pm. So you will not have to pack out refreshments, foods and drink will be sold at the Newfound Gap area.

And if all this is not enough to make you want to come to the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks 75th anniversary rededication at Newfound Gap on September 2nd, Dolly Parton has graciously agreed to perform 2 songs she had written about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

How to Order Tickets for the September 2nd 75th anniversary rededication at Newfound Gap:

By Email:
Send an email requesting up to 4 tickets to GRSMComments@nps.gov with:

1. Your First and Last name as well as those of your guests
2. Your Mailing Address
3. Telephone Number
4. Departure point: Cherokee or Pigeon Forge
5. How many vehicles in your party
6. If you are confined to a wheelchair and need a ride in a bus with a wheelchair lift

Once ticket availability has been determined you will receive a confirming email.

By Phone

For those without Email access you can call (865) 436-7318 extension 258 where you will leave a message with your name and number. We suggest using the Email Option ONLY!

While this will be a monumental and historic event, based upon the extended travel and return time as well as the lack of child friendly entertainment this event would not be suitable for small children.

Blue Ridge Parkway Closure because of the Stony Ridge wildfire to last until at least Saturday

The Northernmost section of the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Soco Road (US19) to the Great Smoky Mountains national parks main thoroughfare Newfound Gap Road (US 441) has been closed for the past 2 days due to the Stony Ridge wildfire near Cherokee North Carolina.

Fire officials believe enough of the wildfire is under control that they will be able to open the Blue Ridge Parkway some time this weekend.

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.

Guided hike at the Kephart Prong Trail to the CCC Camp.

Yesterday was the start of the Great Smoky Mountains national parks salute to the 75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which started with a guided hike by veteran park ranger Brad Free and the park volunteer who maintains this historic trail.

While weather was concern, real rain never materialized and the whole hike was chock full of demonstrations, facts, historic photographs and group discussions.

Now I am on my way to the Sugarlands when there will be an all day program to salute the CCC. I come to have with even appreciation of the hard work these young men did to build the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Bring 2 spoons and your tapping shoes to the Cades Cove Amphitheater for a free musical performance on June 6th.

The Great Smoky Mountains national parks' Cades Cove amphitheatre will be the place to be on Friday June 6th at 9 pm when Ellie Grace a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist who plays the mandolin, fiddle, and guitar will be performing for free along with leading a participatory portion of her musical program where you get to join in with her.

According to Cades Cove Supervisory Park Ranger Mike Maslona "Grace's performances include a compelling mix of music and dance that is strongly rooted in tradition but crosses easily into the contemporary folk realm, ranging from singing songs to playing old-time instrumentals".

Thanks to the Great Smoky Mountains Association which is sponsoring Appalachian mountain music demonstration to Park visitors this event even is free - unless you want to participle in making music in which case the cost of admission is 2 spoons per person and or a stringed instrument to play along!

Great Smoky Mountains National Parks New Twin Creeks Science and Education Center Open house

The new Twin Creek Science and educational faculty in the Roaring Fork area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg Tennessee will have an open house December 1st.

Last week Senator Lamar Alexander was a keynote speaker when the environmentally friendly 15,000 square foot facility was officially dedicated and now the public can tour the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center located on Cherokee Orchard Road from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm this Saturday.

Not only is the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center an attractive building featuring a beautiful architectural design that fits perfectly into the landscape of the Smoky Mountains National park, this building features energy and water saving features that should be incorporated into all new commercial and residential buildings.

Water conservation in the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center is accomplished through the use of low-flow plumbing fixtures, waterless urinals and recovering storm water runoff from the building into rock lined holding ponds.

Energy savings are accomplished through building alignment and large strategically placed windows which optimize natural daylight, high-efficiency automatic lighting and the use of both recycled and natural building materials.

It has been proven that incorporating such intelligence into building designs greatly improves the heath and well being as well as the efficiency and productivity of those working within such a facility.

Economically advanced environmentally friendly buildings generally only cost 5% more than their less efficient counterparts and the additional costs are usually recouped in less than 6 years.

The purpose of the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center is to allow the national parks resource mangers and even visiting guest scientists to have an effect place for their continuing studies into the biological inventory of the park under the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory program, a climate-control storage area for the approximately 50,000 plant and insect specimens, and work spaces in order to study the water and air quality for the national park.

The scientific data collected by the park and the subsequent research will be shared with teachers and students in a guest classroom within the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center allowing neighboring communities to share in the findings and to better understand the scientific process.

In a press release the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson stated "We are pleased to offer our neighbors a chance to see first hand this unique building and the distinctive elements that make this a showcase for the Park and surrounding communities" and he went on to say "Resource managers will be available to discuss the different office and work stations and our education staff will have hands-on activities highlighting the Parks as Classrooms program for children to participate. The public can also view a variety of exhibits that were prepared to outline the Park's different science initiatives and wildlife and vegetation management programs, as well as explore the chemical lab and natural history specimen collection. Part of the preserved collection includes the extinct passenger pigeon which will be on display,"