Trolleys to firefly show no longer running in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Though the trolleys from the Sugarlands Visitor Center to the Elkmont firefly show are no longer running, visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains park can sill enjoy the synchronized firefly show on their own.

Natures light show will begin as soon as it get dark and the sooner you came to enjoy the show the better as it may go on for another week or.

Related Smokies Fireflies News Stories

Synchronized Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains

• 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

2 more days left on Great Smoky Mountains national park Rainbow Trout fish out.

Today and tomorrow are the last 2 days you can catch and keep as many Rainbow Trout no matter the size in the Tremont section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

In order for the national park service along with the help of funding by Friends of the Smokies to restore the native Brook Trout species back into the Tremont Tennessee section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the Rainbow Trout must be removed. What Rainbow Trout that don't get removed will be poisoned in September.

The first day of the fish out anglers brought home more than 110 fish. As of last count mid afternoon yesterday, less than 460 fish in total have been caught during the whole fish out. This number could have been considerably higher if more fisherman showed up to take advantage of the fish out rather than fishing in other sections of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Here are the complete details for the Great Smoky Mountains national park Rainbow Trout removal in Tremont.

The Spur connection Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge will have more intense construction delays for most of June.

Expect longer delays during weekdays on the Spur - the road connecting Gatlinburg with Pigeon Forge with a shortcut that takes you into the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Now that the construction has moved into the milling and paving phase so the road may be resurfaced during weekdays 1 lane will be closed in each direction which will cause some significant delays.

These next few weeks will be trying especially for those in a rush. Driving above the posted speed with the road surfaces being uneven is not only risking an accident with other car and construction workers, except some enhanced speed limit enforcement and hefty fines for speeders on the Spur.

Synchronized Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains national park in Elkmont - a huge disappointment.

Going to see the fireflies in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains national park along with more than 1,050 other people waiting to watch the lighting bugs in the woods and fields all flash at the same time was a huge disappointment.

The shuttle service where you ride in a trolley for $1 round trip that picks you up in the Sugarlands visitor center parking lot starting at 6:00 pm and takes you right to the area in Elkmont where the firefly beetles perform nature's finest light show ran smoothly.

The area in Elkmont along the Little River in the GSMNP where the lightning bugs flash their lights to attract mates is one of the nicest areas of the park - large trees, heavy growth, huge moss covered boulders and a roaring river with many little waterfalls and pools as the river meanders along the hiking path.

The people who came to watch the fireflies - even the kids - were all courteous and well behaved and everyone seemed to be having a great time sitting in folding chairs, hiking on the trail, picnicking and playing with their kids.

When the firefly bugs really starting kicking in their light show at around 9:30 pm even people who saw it before were dazzled by the display of synchronized lights, random flashes and short periods of darkness.

Here is the huge disappointment: digital pictures and movies can not capture this awesome display! I tried everything and second time I came to see the fireflies I just tried to find the words to describe the beauty of the firefly show and it just can't be done! What a huge disappointment.

Besides this major disappointment I had to suffer, I had a great time both nights and will be sure to come out again this season to see the synchronized firefly beetles in Elkmont.

Related Smokies 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

Great Smoky Mountains Fireflies a big hit drawing more than 900 visitors the first night alone!

Visitors came in droves to the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park shuttle to Elkmont to observe the synchronized fireflies.
More than 900 people showed up the first night of the 2 week lightning bug show and even more are expected to show up next weekend when the mating season for the firefly beetles is in full swing.
Even though the weather will be shaky for the remainder of the week we suggest that you come during a weeknight if possible to avoid the crowds who come to watch the synchronized fireflies that perform the best in the Elkmont section of the GSMNP.
Shuttles start leaving to Elkmont from the Sugarlands visitor center at 6:00 pm. The Elkmont section of the park closes to all traffic other than shuttles at 5:00 pm. You can read more about the synchronized fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
A side note: even though the park service has advised us to ask visitors to bring red cellophane to cover flashlights, red cellophane was provided for those who did not have their own.
By using red cellophane on flashlights people who are around you can maintain better night vision and the lights that are red are less disturbing to the lightning bugs as white lights which can keep the fireflies from flashing to their prospective mates.

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

Missing hiking trail sign in Deep Creek NC Section of the GSMNP could spell disaster.

I hike on average 10 - 15 miles a day in the Great Smoky Mountains national park so I am pretty well equipped for anything when I go out into the woods. Luckily with plenty of daylight, a watch and a map I was to change my hiking plans and not get lost even though an important trail sign was missing in the Deep Creek Section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Hiking as much as I do, I know depending on how rugged the terrain is and how many pictures I am taking I know that I average from 1.2 miles to 3.1 miles and hour uphill and 1.8 miles to 3.9 miles and hour downhill. My watch and an accurate map in the Great Smoky Mountains are my most valuable navigation aids. I also always have a compass packed just in case.

Because of the potential for heavy cloud or tree cover you can not count on being able to get getting a reading from your GPS. This can go on for minutes, hours or sometimes days. Batteries can die unexpectedly and we all know that even new electronic equipment can fail without warning or fall and break or even get lost so never hike in the Great Smoky Mountains only counting on a GPS to lead the way!

I planned on hiking Kephart Prong yesterday and go along the ridgeline and end up at the campgrounds on the cabin flats trail. Weather predictions called for a probability of rain and thunderstorms and there was limited visibility due to haze so I changed my plans while on the road to a lower elevation hike in Deep Creek.

The heat index was already at 98 degrees when I arrived at the Deep Creek Trailhead so I loaded up with 3 liters of water for myself and set out on my hike with my day pack and cameras.

There were a lot of families with kids riding tubes and splashing around in the water having a grand old time. This was a great place to bring the kids to cool off during this record breaking heat wave and the price was right: only $3 a day for a tub rental!

Working my way uphill in the heat, the trails were virtually deserted and I found myself consuming water at a rapid rate. Knowing this stretch of my trip was only 2.1 miles to the next trailhead I knew that it should take me from 40 minutes to about an hour to get there.

Since it was very hot and I was consuming water rather quickly I tried to keep my place slower than normal in oder to keep cool.

Along my hike I noticed and unmarked trail about 35 minutes along the Thomas Ridge Trail and since it was not marked I decided to take a short detour and check it out. A trail that is not marked can be a bypass which would bring me back onto the trial I was hiking.

The trail seemed more worn than most manways in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and I could see old signs of maintenance - cut logs along the side of the trial that appeared to have been cut at least 5 years ago or longer. The trail gained in elevation and veered further and further away from the trail I was on so after a half hour of hiking on this unknown trail I turned around to get back on the original trail I was on.

Back on the original trail I was hiking on, I went for another 25 minutes mostly downhill now I realized that I must have passed the junction. Trying to check my position on the new 2008 Hiking Trail Map I purchased from the national park service, I could not find myself on the trial given that the new maps have removed all topographical references as well as not showing accurately details such as individual switchbacks.

With water running low (less than a liter now) I realized that I must work on finding my way out of the park and back to my car. My choice would be walk back the way I came or work on find a trail back on a more efficient loop. Without topographical information on my map I had no idea if this shortcut back would be uphill downhill or a combination of both.

I stopped, made an evaluation of where I was, listened and heard way in the distance the sound of rushing water. It can be hard to tell the difference unless very experienced between the sound of water or wind blowing through leaves. Consulting the map which does show large water features I determined I was already on the shortcut I needed to take to get back to the car.

20 minutes later I was at a marked trailhead confirming I was exactly where I needed to be. A few yards away I ran into 2 other hikers who confirmed to me when they were hiking the day before the sign was in fact missing and they also were lost as a result of the missing sign.

As soon as I returned to my car I went to the campground check in and checked the message board - no notes about the missing sign. I then went to the ranger's station and reported the missing sign.

In the winter with limited daylight and using just the new map and a compass I would have been in for a real problem as I could never have taken a chance for a shortcut - I would have had to return the way I came - a far longer trip but the only sure way I know I could have returned.

The new Great Smoky Mountains national park hiking map is terrible and I would suggest only using the National Geographic Topo map of the area. In the winter or when taking a very long hike I always depend on this map and this reaffirms this is the only map I will use out here in the backcountry when hiking in a less familiar area.

Would a GPS have worked yesterday? Maybe. There was a very heavy canopy and I may not have had the ability to get a fix. If it was winter when solo hiking is more dangerous I would have had one with me. In the winter, late fall and early spring the lack of leaves may have helped me get a fix as long as there was not heavy cloud cover and I had a clear shot of the sky.

I don't expect that this sign will be replaced with a day but I do hope that they will put a not on the bulletin board and should put notes at the trail heads around the missing sign that the sign is in fact missing.

Great Hike today on the Cades Cove 11 mile loop in the GSMNP

Arriving early at the Cades Cove 11 mile loop today we were able to avoid all traffic for the first 3 hours as we walked along the valley floor surrounded by wildlife, flowers and the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains.

We all got to see Black Bear, Wild turkey, deer, Canadian geese and plenty of small wildflowers in the fields and woods in Cades Cove. The Black bear below was photographed this morning near the primitive Baptist Church.

I was so glad to meet the people today who started the hike and those I have met along the way. As great as the wildlife and scenery in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is, it truly attracts very special people as well.

Next time I plan on doing another walk as a group I will give everyone more notice.

Great Smoky Mountains National park hosts synchronous firefly show for the next 2 weeks.

Starting tonight visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains national park are in for a special treat while the synchronous firefly beetles found in the Elkmont section of the park will flash their lights all in unison.
Fireflies also commonly known as lightning bugs can be found elsewhere and the Great Smoky Mountains national park has 14 species that have been identified within the park but only the species called Photinus Carolinus attract their mates with flashing lights within their bodies in a synchronous pattern.
The light given off buy the fireflies is actually a chemical reaction between chemicals within the fireflies, oxygen and an enzyme produced by the beetle. This light also known as bioluminescence is light green for most fireflies and one is bluish.
The exact timing of when it is best to observe the synchronous firefly beetles depends on weather and other condition and although the lightning bugs can take up to 2 years to mature, the light show taking place in their mating season only last around 21 days. The best guess is that this year next week will be the best week to observe the phenomena.
When watching the light show you will notice that to fireflies don't always flash in unison. You may observe different light patterns that they will make such as all the lightning bugs flashing randomly, then in waves across the hillside and then they will all flash together and all stop leaving some momentary periods of darkness.
Visitors to the fireflies should have bug spray and if you are bringing a flashlight it should have a red setting or you bring along red or blue cellophane to cover the light so as not to interfere with the fireflies and other observers night vision. Lights should be pointed to the ground and turned out in the observation areas.
Since this has become an extremely popular attraction with visitors to the park and Elkmont has limited parking, a shuttle service is in place from June 7th to the June 14th at the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg. Riders who take the shuttle to Elkmont pay only $1 for a round trip ticket.
Due to crowding in Elkmont and the potential for pedestrians being hit while walking back to their cars in the dark along Little River Road, no parking is allowed in Elkmont or along the road sides so if you wish to see the fireflies, you must take the shuttle from The Sugarlands Visitor Center.

Related Smokies Fireflies News Stories

Synchronized Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains

• 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

Join me for a Hike through Cades Cove without any traffic tomorrow morning.

Cades Cove is my favorite part of the Great Smoky Mountains national park when it is quiet and not crowded so tomorrow morning I will be hiking the 11 mile loop starting at 7:15 on Saturday June 7th. Since cars are banned from the road until 10:00 am I should be at least past the Cades Cove visitors center in the back end of the loop before the first car passes by.

I have often been asked by hikers and people who follow our news and articles if I would lead a walk as I am very familiar with the area and know most of the haunts of the black bear, deer and wild turkey which am sure we will see tomorrow morning - here is your chance to join me.

Since it is getting warmer by the day, before too long I will not want to hike the loop in daylight as the back end of the Cades Cove Loop has no tree cover and tends to get very hot and sometimes buggy.

If you wish to walk, wear good comfortable shoes - sneakers should be OK as I am not planning on bushwhacking and the road is dry since we have not had much rain. Bring a bottle of water which you can refill at the visitor centers water fountain and by all means bring a camera.

Since I have not made any real prior announcement and this is not an official tour, it's just me letting you tag alone on one of my daily hikes in the National Park, there may be few if anyone joining me.

How will you find me? There is a parking area by the entrance of Cades Cove and I assure you, you can't miss me.

If you are interested in coming please comment back to this thread and tell me how many of you plan to come along.

Water problems at some Backcountry Campsites in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Seem like the water problems are starting again in the Great Smoky Mountains national park for backcountry campers. Last years drought in the Smoky Mountains caused serious problems for campers as there was stretch of more than 20 miles that ran dry.

So far the backcountry sites that have water problems are in the Cades Cove Tennessee area backcountry site #7 (Ace Gap) and backcountry site #4 (Kelly Gap) and in the Elkmont Tennessee area backcountry site #19 (Upper Henderson).

All three backcountry sites with water issues in the Great Smoky Mountains national park are from 1,600 to 2,900 feet in elevation and horses are allowed.

Last years water problems in the national park were more prevalent in the North Carolina side as opposed to these which are all in Tennessee.

No limits on Rainbow Trout in Tremont section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Even though Rainbow Trout size and quantity limits are lifted on an 8 mile section of the Tremont area of the Great Smoky Mountains national park, less than 10 anglers are taking advantage of this special opportunity to help the national park and fish in one of the most beautiful areas to fish in Tennessee.

Yesterday the park recorded that 115 Rainbow Trout were caught as well as one legal sized Brook Trout in the special fishing zone that was set up where the native Brook Trout restoration will take place this September.

Park service employees are expecting a much larger crowd this weekend so the best time to come out and enjoy the peace and quiet as well as bring home a good dinner will be during the week. There should be plenty of fish to catch as well as space for fisherman this weekend as well.

In order to take advantage of this limit free Rainbow Trout harvest to help with the Brook Trout restoration program you must register on the temporary fishing registration tent a few hundred feet from the Middle Prong Trailhead in Tremont.

Only the Rainbow Trout in the designated area have size and quantity limits lifted. Brook Trout must be of legal size to be kept and only artificial lures with a single hook are allowed to be used to catch any fish in the GSMNP.

The reason why size and catch limits still apply to Brook Trout in the area is that prior to the national park service biologist to administer the poison to the water which will kill the remaining Rainbow Trout in September, biologists will use electro-fishing to stun and then remove any Brook Trout that they can so that these native fish can be safely held until the water is ready for their reintroduction. This is also the reason why single hooks only can be used when fishing in the area to reduce hooking mortality to the Brook Trout.

To fish anywhere in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park you must have a valid Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license if you are are 13 years old or older. You can read about this and other national park fishing regulations on Your Smokies.

Now you can follow the excitement of Your Smokies on Twitter

Your Smokies has just the world of Twitter as Smokies Hiker and has been updating feeds on both Your Smokies News and the Your Smokies web site Hiking section.

What is Twitter you may ask? It is a free service that lets you send or receive messages up 140 characters long in real time. Now you can see where we are going and what we are doing along our adventures in the Great Smoky Mountains.

With Twitter we are updating our web sites and blogs via our PCs in our offices and laptop computers and cell phones while we are on the road. Often cell phones do not work in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, but when they do we will be sending updates.

Twitter will also give you the opportunity to respond what we write about on Your Smokies or not. Don't want to Twit? Well you can just watch our Twitter updates on the lower right hand side of Your Smokies News.

Ready to join the fun? Follow the Smokies Hiker on Twitter!

Great Smoky Mountains national park closes 2 backcountry campsites.

2 Backcountry campsites were just closed in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the first being backcountry campsite #15 on the Rabbit Creek Trail connecting Cades Cove with Abrams Creek and the other backcountry campsite #53 in around the Thomas Divide trail intersection with the Newton Bald Trail accessible off Newfound Gap Road in North Carolina.

Both backcountry campsite 15 also know as the Rabbit Creek campsite (pictured below) and backcountry campsite 53 known as Poke Patch campsite were closed due to aggressive black bear activity and will remain closed until further notice. This can be a few days, weeks or even longer.

When a campsite in the Great Smoky Mountains is closed due to black bear it is monitored closely by park staff to see if bear are continuing to be a potential threat in the area. If you see a tent in a closed campsite leave it alone as it may be a decoy set up by the park service but you can tell park staff of your finding just in case it is a camper who does not know of or is unwilling to head the warning.

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!

Hikers and visitors to state and national parks need to take personal responsibility.

The tragic death of 2 year old who fell while hiking with his family in Chimney Rock State Park in North Carolina has opened a dialog where people has been inquiring as to if there were sufficient warnings of the potential danger to hiking children and if these warnings were bilingual or not. Now some are asking if children should be banned from being on certain hiking trails.

In this day and age it is up to everyone to take personally responsibility for their own safety as well as those under their supervision. I have personally turned around on trails that I have hiked before because conditions were such that the trail was unsafe for me to continue.

I never needed a sign to tell me to not dangle one of my kids over a lion's cage at the zoo or let them be alone next to a burning campfire when they were too young to understand not to stick their hands into the pretty flames.

Unfortunately even though I always did do my best to protect my children, they did get some bumps and bruises, sometimes when they were right next to me because accidents do happen - that's why cars have seat belts.

Rather than ban driving because accidents can happen, we ban dangerous behavior when driving such as drinking/drugging while driving and speeding - the biggest dangers in our national parks and state parks that claims more lives than anything else.

It's not that I am just singling out this tragic accident in the Chimney Rock Park. This Labor Day I was hiking along the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and saw 3 blatant cases of foolish behavior which were risky to the risk takers as well as the lives of others arround them.

Before even leaving the Clingmans Dome parking lot to start my hike, 4 men in their early 20s were climbing on damp rocks that have a warning sign prohibiting people from climbing on them. One of their backpacks along with a water bottle were by the warning sign.

Next at the Double Spring Gap backcountry shelter there were more overnight campers than the maximum capacity of the shelter and in violation of Great Smoky Mountains national park rules, tents were set up outside the shelter.

One of these tents contained 4 people who ate food and then stored their food overnight in their tent. Considering the next backcountry shelter over the Mount Collins Shelter has an active bear warning, the chance for an unpleasant encounter with a black bear which could potentially endanger everyone in the over capacity shelter is high.

All backcountry shelters in the Great Smoky Mountains National park that I have checked have signs warning of the presence of black bears in the GSMNP and what to do to avoid them as well as some of the other park regulations for campers. These warnings were obviously ignored.

Further down the Appalachian Trail about 2 miles past the Silers Bald Shelter I ran into 3 young male hikers coming down the trail with the leader of the group wearing beach sandals. It turned out that Mr. Flip Flops was an experienced hiker who just felt like not wearing his hiking boots on this trip.

I asked him which one of his friends was going to carry him out if he twisted his ankle or got hurt and his friends laughed and pointed at each other. Considering how deep in country they were, any extraction would have to be a serious undertaking which would have also put any rescuers at risk.

All of these risk takers spoke English and acted foolishly knowing of the potential danger they were putting themselves and others in. Obviously they just didn't care about their own safety as well as the safety of others.

I hike 10 - 15 miles a day in the Great Smoky Mountains national park year-round unless the weather or road conditions are hazardous. While I solo hike most of the time (which I don't suggest) I outfit myself so that I am ready for any potential emergency and I don't behave in a risky manner or take chances along the trail to increase the chances that I will have to be rescued.

When I bring someone else along on a trail I make sure that I know their skill level and that they have an understanding of what they can and can not do and make sure that they have the right footwear, clothing and supplies to safely and comfortably come hiking with me.

If you plan on taking a hike or engaging in any other activity in the park that has a risk, be smart, go to one of the visitor centers and speak to one of the Park Rangers or volunteers and take their expert advice.

While no one can guarantee you won't have an accident or an unpleasant experience, with a little planning and taking personal responsibility for your own actions and those in your party, your hike will probably end with pleasant memories of time well spent in the park rather than a nightmare that will haunt you the rest of your life.

Native American Pow Wow taking place in Cherokee North Carolina

Today is the final day for the Native American Pow Wow in the Cherokee Fairgrounds where Indian tribes of many nations are gathering to dance, play music and show their tribal customs to an eager crowd.

The crowds are small, the weather is perfect and with free parking and an admission of only $10 this is the place to be right now.

The pow wow is expected to go into the night with grand entrances taking place at 1pm and 7pm.

Visitors will find booths with crafts, food and drink and plenty of music.

Tragic death of 2 year old on hiking trail in Chimney Rock Park

Hiking with his family in the North Carolina Chimney Rock Park, a 2 year old from Spartanburg South Carolina fell yesterday morning to his death in an area which has a steep drop off.

While park staff did what they could including repelling down a cliff, administering CPR and extracting the youth and transporting the child to a hospital their effort were in vain as the child tragically died.

The trail was closed off during rescue efforts which took under 2 hours included the help of Emergency response crews, fire and police who all arrived at the scene of this accident in Chimney Rock Park.

According to Rutherford County Chimney Rock Park Superintendent Adrienne Wallace the accident is under investigation and it is unknown how far the child fell as well as how the child was able fall given the fencing that lines the hiking trail.

Sadly what should have been a glorious day the park ended in an earth shattering event for the family. Many hiking trails and especially waterfalls have had serous injuries and deaths when people have climbed on wet rocks, left the designated trail or left small children unattended or not under direct control by holding their hand.

Most hiking trails do not have fencing or railings to protect people from falls and this accident shows that even fencing or rails does not mean a deadly accident can still not occur.

As a professional hiker who hikes between 10 – 15 miles a day year round I can tell you I personally slipped 3 times in the past week. I was able to catch myself twice with my hiking poles and maintain my balance but a sore on my arm and elbow are clear evidence that even a professional who is paying attention and properly equipped can easily have an accident on a hiking trail.

Current black bear activity in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains national park the memorial day weekend are fairly sure to see a black bear if they spend enough early morning hours and late afternoon hours in Cades Cove or Cataloochee or deep enough in the backcountry.

Backcountry users must take exceptional care in the backcountry shelter at Mount Collins (pictured below) which has seen significant black bear activity in the past few days.

Great Smoky Mountains national park temporally removes size and quantity limits on Rainbow Trout in section of park.

The national park service has an ongoing Brook Trout Restoration Program in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and now anglers can help the program with a set of temporary fishing regulations. These special fishing regulations are limited to 2 bodies of water only in the Tremont Tennessee section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park and are only valid from 7 am - 7 pm June 2nd through June 14th 2008.

The only places where the special Rainbow Trout fishing regulations will take place where fisherman can keep as many Rainbow Trout as they catch regardless of size are an 8 mile stretch of the Lynn Camp Prong River and the Lynn Camp Prong River's tributary Marks Creek. Both of these bodies of water are located in Blount County inside the national park and can be accessed by taking Middle Prong Road located off Laurel Creek Road west of the Townsend Wye to the end where the Middle Creek trailhead is. At this time it does not appear that the other tributary of Lynn Camp Prong called Panther Creek is affected by these special temporary fishing regulations.

In order to help restore the native Brook Trout the non-native Rainbow trout must be removed. First the National park service is allowing anglers to get their fill of the fish and then come this September National Park Biologists will teat the water with the poison Antimycin A which will kill the remaining fish but does not harm non fish aquatic species such as the parks beloved salamanders and crawfish.

Once all the fish have been removed from the restoration area, a large cascade down stream will keep the non native Rainbow Trout from returning upstream to the area which will then be stocked with Native Brook Trout removed from another section of the park. The Brook Trout population will then be allowed to build by prohibiting fishing the area for a time period of between 4 to 7 years until the Book Trout's population is sustainable for harvest.

The special regulations require that you still have a valid Tennessee or North Carolina Fishing license which you will have to surrender for the day 1/4 mile up from the trailhead at the temporary National Park Service check-in station where you will receive at no charge a special daily fishing permit which you must keep visibly displayed at all times. You must check back in prior to 7 pm with all the fish you have caught to get your license back unless you are camping at the Tremont backcountry campsite #28.

You are still only allowed to use artificial lures with a single hook and normal Great Smoky Mountains National Park fishing regulations apply to fish such as Brook Trout or any other fish other than Rainbow Trout.

This is a great opportunity for fisherman to enjoy fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains national park while helping the park service and enjoying what can be a fantastic meal or 2 in the process!

All hiking trails and backcountry campsites open for Memorial Day in the Great Smoky Mountains national park

The national park service was able to open the Trillium Gap hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park which was closed due to a landslide as well as the Goshen Prong hiking trail and backcountry campsite which was closed due to tree blowdowns and the 2 trails Schoolhouse Gap and Turkey Pen Ridge which were closed due to aggressive black bear activity all in time for the for the Memorial Day Weekend.

With fantastic weather predicted for the weekend expect to see a lot of activity in the Great Smoky Mountains national park as well as enhanced traffic enforcement so enjoy the park but drive at the posted limits!