Firefly Season Past Peak in Parts of GSMNP and Closes Elkmont to Non-Campers Starting Tonight

Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are a big deal. Strike that. One particular species of the 14 known lightning bugs in the GSMNP is a huge deal. What makes this one firefly (Photinus Carolinus) also called a lightning bug so special is the unique synchronized light show both the male and female firefly provide to around 1,000 visitors a night.

The Synchronized Firefly has been a huge draw for years - so much so that the Great Smoky Mountains national park has created a shuttle system to handle the huge influx of visitors into the Elkmont are of the park close to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Wears Valley.

Though these fascinating lightning bugs can be found through most of the Great Smoky Mountains national park if you know when to be there, the Elkmont are along the Little River Hiking Trail is the only safe place to accommodate many visitors wandering around in the dark.

The City of Gatlinburg has helped the park by providing eco friendly shuttles from the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking area to Elkmont and back for only $1 per rider. The problem is more visitors arrive to the departure area every day than the park can safely handle.

Each year as more and more people arrived to ride the shuttle to see the fireflies in Elkmont earlier and earlier, the more people missed the opportunity to see the fireflies and their synchronized light show. It also filled the parking in the visitor center lot for much of the day keeping other visitors from having access to the visitor center and the facilities.

The park this year took a bold move to make it fairer for a greater number of visitors and to alleviate congestion by instituting ticket sales in advance through the internet for the firefly shuttle trolleys.

In order to not exceed the holding capacity of Elkmont and the parking area 175 car passes were released for each day the shuttle was to be in operation. There will be already all the campers in the 220 campsites in Elkmont, many of whom reserved their site as much as 6 months in advance.

An additional 25 passes for each date the firefly shuttle trolley was to run will be released on 10 am the day before departure by visiting www.recreation.gov. Cost for the shuttle is $1 per passenger round trip.

While these were all great ways to protect the resources in the park, increase visitor safety and be able to enjoy natures greatest light show right here in the Smokies which could go wrong? How about if the Great Smoky Mountains national park throws a huge party of the fireflies and the guest of honor don't show up!

The fireflies among lots of other plants and animals in the Great Smoky Mountains national park along the lower elevations are all screwed up. Phenologically that is.

Timing is everything in for much of nature in the natural world. When a flower is blooming there better be a way it gets pollinated, when fruit is born, something has to eat it to spread the seeds. Well this year the extremely warm winter and early spring has screwed everything up.

The Photinus Carolinus synchronized firefly starts as a glowworm living underground and emerges once the soil is around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. It likes to keep by slow moving water and uses its bioluminescence (light produced by a living organism) in the form of a greenish glow to attract mates.

Since we have been far too warm in the lower elevations this year, they emerged too soon. As a result, they are passing/past peak right now and by the time the shuttle service was scheduled to begin, the show will be poor and they may be virtually gone before the shuttle service ends.

Because of the tremendous logistic involved in safety handling such a number of people and the staffing along with the trolleys required to shuttle visitors to the firefly show in Elkmont, the Great Smoky Mountains national park cannot move the timing of the shuttles.

To further add to park visitor's frustration, because of safety concerns and staffing shortages, the national park closed Elkmont to all traffic at night other then campers starting tonight.

Other places to see the fireflies in the park right now include deep into Cades Cove around Hyatt Lane - about a 8 mile round trip hike in ideal walking conditions on a paved and gravel road, by the picnic area in Cosby. Other areas in the park to see the fireflies right now are risky to get into and none can handle more than a few dozen visitors a night at most.

As much as we have historical weather data for the park along with great in-depth knowledge of the synchronized fireflies, this year's weather has put a huge damper on nature's best light show in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Regardless whether the new reservation system was implemented or not, mother nature is to blame this time and I for one applaud the new system implemented by the park service.

For those around the Smokies in the next few weeks, as the light show moves up in elevation I will see if I can share 2 other places the show is good in the park.

Was this year's unusually warm weather following 2 particularly rough and unusual winters a result of climate change? It certainly looks that way based upon patterns we clearly see in the GSM park, which is not conclusive.

Portions of a degree up or down a few days earlier or later can wreak havoc on sensitive ecosystems and can threaten biodiversity around the world.

I just hope that decades from now we don't say "remember when the synchronized fireflies used to put their show on before Easter?"

Related Smokies Fireflies News Stories

Synchronized Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains

• 2015 Firefly Viewing Dates in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
• 2014 Firefly Viewing Dates in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
• Where and When to see Synchronous Fireflies in the Smokies in 2013
• Synchronous Fireflies Emerge Too Early for Visitors In The Great Smoky Mountains national park
• Synchronous fireflies and their admirers are about to invade the Great Smoky Mountains national park
• Great Smoky Mountains National park synchronous firefly
• Great Smoky Mountains Fireflies has 900 visitors first night
• Synchronized Fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains national parks Elkmont a huge disappointment

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.

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.

Elk rut in full swing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Since the North American elk have been reintroduced in the Great Smoky Mountains national park in the Cataloochee section near Maggie Valley, the best time to come see the elk is during the annual rut.

During the elk rut male bull elks fight for territory and collect a harem so they may mate with as many females as possible.

The elk rut is now in full season and as seen in the picture above taken today of 2 bull elk sparing the elk rut it is a spectacle no one should miss.

Expect the peak of the elk rut last until at least Mid October with other mating behavior a few weeks longer.

Related Elk in the GSMNP Stories

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park Elk Poaching Suspect Confesses and Arrest is Emanate
• Elk poaching takes place in Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.
• Elk Reintroduction in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs more Volunteers for Elk Bugle Corp Program

2007 Smoky Mountains leaf color change season peak

Leaf color changes thought the Smokies have just passed their peak but there will be plenty of color in the leaves of the trees and the mountainsides for weeks to come in Tennessee as well as in North Carolina.

In the Tennessee Smoky Mountains there are still plenty of trees still in the green phase but most have turned into light green, yellows, oranges and flaming reds giving a nice contrast to the tans and browns of leaves that changed colors sooner.

Last weeks cooler temperatures helped move things along in Tennessee’s leaf season and driving down Newfound Gap Road (441) from the North Carolina side by the 7 mile marker the riot of color in the leaves really show off. Of course now day by day this will work its way down to the lower elevations.

I have still found tons of great color in all of the hikes I have done in Cades Cove, Elkmont, Tremont, Greenbrier, Sugarlands and even Crosby this week and see that the oaks and the maples have at least another 2 weeks more color left in them.

Just as in real estate the key word is location. Some of the road sides are now past peak but once you wander in to the valleys or look up the side of the mountains you can see the yellows, green, reds and browns that make the Smokies a great place to see autumn colors.

While the peak has passed sooner in North Carolina there are still tremendous pockets of fall colors with hardwood trees now showing their flashy colors. Trees in some of the higher elevations have lost most of their leaves and the last few days’ rain has knocked off any of the leaves that were about to fall.

Hiking along ridge lines yesterday in North Carolina as well as driving along the Blueridge parkway I still found eye-popping colors and spectacular views everywhere.

Today may see some snow flurries in the upper elevations with little or no accumulations making for some spectacular pictures. No more snow is predicted for the next week.

If you are planning on coming to the Smokies in the next week or 2 you won’t miss out on the spectacular fall colors – just most of the traffic!

The Smoky Mountains leaf season to run early and short for 2007

One of the busiest tourist seasons for the Smoky Mountains is leaf season when people come to see the fall colors as they sweep through the Smoky Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Since there are no less than 108 species of trees represented in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you are sure to see wild pallets of colors as each species of tree will change into a different color at a different time. Add in elevation changes of more than almost 5,000 feet in the park alone and you have a leaf season that is more spectacular and varied and last longer than most other regions in the Unites States.

Unfortunately the weather in the Smoky Mountains has not been very cooperative for a long leaf season this year due to extremely light rainfall. Sure it was great that you could hike in the Smokies and drive with less rain and mud, but higher moisture content in the leaves means brighter colors and longer life expectancy for each individual leaf.

In the past 3 weeks I can clearly see the lightening of dark green foliage and random burst of red, yellow and orange in the trees already. At the present it feels as though the leaves are about a week or so ahead of schedule and the weather in the Smokies is fabulous.

Above you see a picture I took yesterday on my property in Sevierville Tennessee of the colors already changing and it looks to me that by mid October we will all be experiencing a riot of colors here.

The peak of the leaf season in the Smoky Mountains varies by attitude and moisture content of the leaves. Higher elevations in North Carolina will be the first to see the color changes and peak leaf season with lower elevations in North Carolina and Tennessee to follow.

For years I have told everyone who asked about the best time to come to be sure to catch the most color in the leaves and my answer is October to early November but if you are disappointed in the leaves colors right in front of you, you are only a short drive to another section of the Smokies where the leaves colors may be more to your liking.

If you are too early to catch the peak of the leaf season, enjoy the beautiful greens and light yellows and splashes of red. If you are to late for the peak of the leaf colors you end up missing the crowds and will usually get a cheaper rate on your hotel or cabin rental in the Smoky Mountains.