Mother Nature takes another whack at trails in Great Smoky Mountains National …
10:09 a.m. June 15, 2013
Mother Nature takes another whack at trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Damage to Gabes Mountain Trail caused by storm. Image from Great Smoky Mountains National Park Service.
GATLINBURG, TN — Great Smoky Mountains National Park managers report that several trails in Cosby and Big Creek are closed due to extensive damage from the wind and rain during a late afternoon storm on Thursday, June 13. Other trails in the area may be closed as the park is continuing to assess the damage.
Gabes Mountain Trail and Snake Den Ridge Trail in Cosby, and Baxter Creek Trail and Big Creek in Big Creek have been closed due to scores of downed trees. The trails are impassable by foot or horse.
In addition to trail closures, the Park has also closed “B” Loop of Cosby Campground due to damage. There is no estimate for reopening the trails or the campground at this time.
“We are in the process of assessing the condition of all of the trails within the storm affected area,” said acting Chief Ranger Steve Kloster. “Hikers and equestrians may want to confirm trail openings by contacting the Park’s Backcountry Office or by visiting our website before planning routes through this section of the Park.”
The storm which hit hardest on the Northeastern most section of the park was the tail end of a storm system which hit the Midwest through much of Thursday. Air monitoring stations at Clingmans Dome and Look Rock recorded over sixty mile per hour winds during the time of the storm.
Published June 15, 2013
Travel: The beauty of it all in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains
A great blue heron snacks in the waters of the Little Pigeon River. Behind me, the mist settles in the meadow as horses nibble their breakfast. The winding road behind me leads to the hills and hollers of the Appalachian foothills; a landscape shaped by generations of small farmers who, by necessity, taught their cows to graze vertical pastures.
On the other side of the river, a giant blue and green helium balloon ascends on its tether, then goes back down, then up again with a new load of tourists. I can hear theme music wafting over from the Titanic Museum, and preaching coming from some other loudspeaker.
It’s on the Pigeon Forge strip: five miles of hotels, theaters and family attractions. Rising beyond are the majestic Smoky Mountains, wrapped in the mist for which they are named.
The Appleview River Resort in Sevierville, where we stayed during our trip to the Tennessee Smokies, is perched on that line between scenic countryside and bustling entertainment complex, between the sublime and the ridiculous.
That combination of natural beauty and man-made fun is what makes the Smokies one of the nation’s most popular tourist destinations. It also gives visitors the chance to customize their experience. You can spend your time deep in the hills or right in the center of the action, stay with your kids in a big resort with an indoor water park, or hide away in a cabin with a view you’ll never forget.
The main attraction is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: half a million acres of deep woods, sparkling waterfalls, scenic vistas and restored pioneer homesteads. It is the nation’s most visited national park, and one of the few that doesn’t charge admission, mostly because it’s accessible from so many points.
The main road across the Smokies runs from Gatlinburg, Tenn., to Cherokee, N.C., with Clingmans Dome, at 6,643 feet, the highest peak in the national park at about the half-way mark. The road is closed regularly for snow or landslides, but the views are spectacular. Other roads into the park are less crowded and just as rewarding. Greenbrier, a few miles east of Gatlinburg, is a fine place to picnic along the creek. The Roaring Fork Motor Nature trail is a nice, short introduction to the land and its heritage.
Better yet, go to Cades Cove, one of the prettiest spots on the continent, where horses still graze as they have for centuries, on pastures surrounded by mountains.
Gatlinburg, nestled in the hills at the park’s entrance, is the older, more established tourist center. Compact and walkable, it has riverside hotels, a ski area and shops that range from classy to chintzy. Its newest attractions are distilleries offering free samples of legal mountain moonshine.
Pigeon Forge, just down the road, has room for water slides, ziplines, go-carts and mini-golf, for large hotels and attractions like the Hollywood Wax Museum and the Titanic Museum. It’s also the place for dinner theaters, mostly featuring live country music and cornball comedy.
The best attraction in Pigeon Forge is Dollywood, a theme park dedicated to, and owned by, country music legend Dolly Parton. It’s got all the rides the kids expect at a major theme park (regular admission runs $56), with extra helpings of mountain heritage and music.
This spring, Dollywood went global with its “Festival of Nations.” You wouldn’t expect to hear Central African a capella singers and Incan panflute players at a park built around a country music icon, but good music is good music, and it’s part of what makes Dollywood much more than a collection of roller coasters.
Sevierville, just north of Pigeon Forge, is shaping its own identity as a tourist destination, while holding on to its identity as the county seat of Sevier (pronounced “severe”) County. It has created a shopping district featuring dozens of brand-name retailers, and built a new convention center/golf/resort complex.
But don’t forget the back roads. Smaller Smokies villages like Pittman Center, Cosby and Townsend offer all the charms without the crowds. Zipline through a wooded holler at Foxfire Mountain; fish, hike or camp in Wears Valley. You may find the drive to be more memorable than the destination.
With its central location and temperate climate, the Smokies has seasons to suit most anyone. Southerners flock here in the summer for days less stifling and nights more comfortable than back home. They come in the winter for a chance to see snow. Northerners can come in April to start their spring early (don’t miss the wildflowers), and in November to stretch out the fall. September in the Smokies is a gem of a month, when the summer heat lifts just as the tourists thin out.
The Tennessee Smokies have something for every season – and for every visitor’s taste.
If you go
Planning a trip to the Smokies? Here are a few places to start:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: www.nps.gov/grsm
Gatlinburg Chamber of Commere: 800-588-1817; www.gatlinburg.com
Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism: 800-251-9100; www.mypigeonforge.com
Sevierville Chamber of Commerce: 888-738-4378; www.visitsevierville.com
Dollywood: 800-365-5996; www.dollywood.com
Foxfire Mountain Ziplining Adventure: 865-453-1998; www.foxfiremountain.com
Moonshine Distillery: 903 Parkway, Gatlinburg: 865-436-6995; www.olesmokymoonshine.com
Appleview River Resort, Sevierville: 877-705-2379; appleviewresort.com
Man rescued in Smoky Mountains after falling tree injury
10:24 a.m. June 15, 2013
Man rescued in Smoky Mountains after falling tree injury
GATLINBURG, TN — An injured hiker was successfully airlifted from Low Gap Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park at 6:45 pm on Friday, June 14. Nathan Lipsom, a 53 year old male from Cambridge, MA, sustained injuries from a falling tree while hiking the trail during a severe storm event on Thursday, June 13.
Lipsom was extricated from the trail by a Blackhawk helicopter coordinated through Haywood County and the State of North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. He was then flown to the airport in Asheville, NC and transported by ground to Mission Hospital.
National park staff assisted the airlift operation on the ground and provided two Park Medics and an EMT for patient care. Damage to the trails around the Cosby and Big Creek areas prevented a ground team from reaching Lipsom for a carry out operation in a reasonable amount of time.
A National Weather Service crew has confirmed an EF-1 tornado in the Cosby area during the June 13 storm. A Park Backcountry Ranger was patrolling the trails around Cosby and Big Creek on the morning of June 14 to assess storm damage when he discovered Lipsom and initiated the rescue operation.
Published June 15, 2013
Great Smoky Mountains: Lush forests, falls and black bears
A yearling black bear cub sat in the roots of a downed tree along the ridge line trail from Cade’s Cove to Abrams Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To the delight of visitors, he basked in the sunlight and chewed on the green stems that grew between the roots.
My son Eli, 12, loved it.
He took his first trip to the park last year — we were two of the 9,685,829 visitors in 2012 — and was hooked from the moment we saw that bear cub about 3 feet away.
We’d been told before setting out on the hike to be prepared for surprises. But even our guide for the day, Dan Barger of the National Parks Conservation Association, didn’t expect this.
“I’ve been hiking in this park for 40 years and never come that close to a bear,” Barger said after we’d passed safely by.
KEN BURNS: National park system a gift for you to unwrap
KEN BURNS: National parks feed America’s soul
Even before we saw the cub, our day at the park had been a success.
We’d started with a mile hike off of the Foothills Parkway to the observation tower atop Chilhowee Mountain, with its panoramic view of the southern end of the half-million-acre national park.
From there we drove down through a gap in the mountains to Townsend, Tenn., where cellphone coverage disappeared, and into the park.
Not long afterward, we hit the day’s first bear jam — a traffic backup caused by the appearance of a bear walking through the woods. A few dozen visitors, many with cameras, watched a black bear roam 50 feet away, foraging for its breakfast.
Among them were Kenny and Julie Brown of Mexico, Ind. They first came to the park five years ago and have returned every year since. During their last visit, they saw 37 bears.
Even more than the bears, Kenny Brown said, the park’s mountains, lit by the sun setting over the forest of oak, hemlock and maple trees, keep them coming back.
PHOTOS: Prize-winning national park images
“If you come here in the evening, just before the sun goes down, there’s not a more beautiful place in the whole world,” he said.
Our tour of the Cove took us past pre-Civil War graveyards, churches and settlers’ cabins before we set out on the hike to Abrams Falls.
We passed by thickets of rhododendron and through a landscape dotted with flowering mountain laurel and herbs such as teaberry, Solomon’s seal and wild ginger before making our way up to the ridgeline and the bear cub.
Then it was off to the falls themselves — where Abrams Creek drops 20 feet off a rock ledge to a wide pool. The roaring of the falls, the sounds of people splashing their feet in the water and the shouts of shock from a few brave souls who dove into the chilly April water filled the air and gave a sense of peace found in few places in the modern world.
“At the end of every hike, there’s a jewel,” said Terre Maisel from Mettawa, Ill.
10Best: 10 best under-the-radar national parks
10Best: 10 incredible animals that live in U.S. national parks
There’s good news and bad news for park visitors this year.
Newfound Gap Road, which runs in the park between Tennessee and North Carolina, reopened in mid-April. The road had been closed since a major landslide took out 200 feet of mountainside road in January.
“They got it repaired in less than 90 days,” said Dana Soehn, a public information officer for the park.
Federal budget cuts will affect some services here, as at many other national parks. Three campgrounds in the park are closed, along with two picnic areas. The park is down 10 full-time staff members and had to delay hiring seasonal workers.
Smietana also reports for The Tennessean in Nashville
***
About the park
Size: 521,086 total acres — 276,344 in North Carolina and 244,742 in Tennessee
Visitors: 9,685,829 in 2012
Established: 1934
History: The Great Smoky Mountains was one of the first national parks located on the East Coast.
When visiting: There are four visitor centers in the park: The Cades Cove center on Cades Cove Loop Road near Townsend, Tenn.; the Oconaluftee center on U.S. 441, 2 miles north of Cherokee, N.C.; the Sugarland center 2 miles south of Gatlinburg, Tenn., on U.S. 441; and the Clingmans Dome center 7 miles off U.S. 441 in Tennessee. Visitor information: (865) 436-1200.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trails Closed By Storm Damage
Scores of downed trees have forced the temporary closure of trails at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including the Gabes Mountain Trail. NPS photo.
Editor’s note: This updates the story with rangers rescuing a backcountry hiker who sustained multiple injuries from being hit by a tree.
A military helicopter was used Friday to airlift an injured hiker from the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the wake of a tornado that raked the area and left behind a jumbled tangle of trees that made a foot rescue impractical.
Park officials said 53-year-old Nathan Lipsom, of Cambridge, Mass., was discovered earlier Friday by a backcountry ranger who was patrolling to assess damage and check on hikers in the wake of Thursday’s powerful storm. The man had been hiking along low Gap Trail when the storm hit around 4 p.m. and sustained multiple, unspecified, injuries, a park release said.
The ranger discovered the man about 11:30 a.m. Friday. He remained with the patient and relayed medical and location information to the park incident commander. Park staff organized a rescue operation and dispatched a park medic to the site to further evaluate and stabilize the patient’s condition.
Due to the vast number of downed trees that made a quick ground rescue unlikely, the park requested a Blackhawk helicopter through Haywood County and the State of North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. The helicopter was able to airlift the hiker out of the backcountry about 6:45 p.m. local time Friday. He was then flown to the airport in Asheville, North Carolina, and transported by ground to Mission Hospital.
The winds, delivered by what the National Weather Service described as an EF1 tornado, forced the closure of some trails in the park’s backcountry due to downed trees.
Park officials said the Gabes Mountain Trail and Snake Den Ridge Trail in Cosby, and Baxter Creek Trail and Big Creek in Big Creek had been closed due to scores of downed trees. Along with the trail closures, the park also closed “B” Loop of Cosby Campground due to damage. There was no estimate for reopening the trails or the campground at this time.
“We are in the process of assessing the condition of all of the trails within the storm affected area,” said acting Chief Ranger Steve Kloster. “Hikers and equestrians may want to confirm trail openings by contacting the park’s Backcountry Office or by visiting our website before planning routes through this section of the Park.”
The storm, which hit hardest on the northeastern-most section of the park, was the tail end of a storm system that swept through the Midwest through much of Thursday, the park reported. Air monitoring stations at Clingmans Dome and Look Rock recorded winds in excess of 60 mph.
For the most up-to-date closure information, visit the park’s website or call the Backcountry Office at 865-436-1297.
Great Smoky Mountains: Lush forests, falls and black bears
A yearling black bear cub sat in the roots of a downed tree along the ridge line trail from Cade’s Cove to Abrams Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To the delight of visitors, he basked in the sunlight and chewed on the green stems that grew between the roots.
My son Eli, 12, loved it.
He took his first trip to the park last year — we were two of the 9,685,829 visitors in 2012 — and was hooked from the moment we saw that bear cub about 3 feet away.
We’d been told before setting out on the hike to be prepared for surprises. But even our guide for the day, Dan Barger of the National Parks Conservation Association, didn’t expect this.
“I’ve been hiking in this park for 40 years and never come that close to a bear,” Barger said after we’d passed safely by.
KEN BURNS: National park system a gift for you to unwrap
KEN BURNS: National parks feed America’s soul
Even before we saw the cub, our day at the park had been a success.
We’d started with a mile hike off of the Foothills Parkway to the observation tower atop Chilhowee Mountain, with its panoramic view of the southern end of the half-million-acre national park.
From there we drove down through a gap in the mountains to Townsend, Tenn., where cellphone coverage disappeared, and into the park.
Not long afterward, we hit the day’s first bear jam — a traffic backup caused by the appearance of a bear walking through the woods. A few dozen visitors, many with cameras, watched a black bear roam 50 feet away, foraging for its breakfast.
Among them were Kenny and Julie Brown of Mexico, Ind. They first came to the park five years ago and have returned every year since. During their last visit, they saw 37 bears.
Even more than the bears, Kenny Brown said, the park’s mountains, lit by the sun setting over the forest of oak, hemlock and maple trees, keep them coming back.
PHOTOS: Prize-winning national park images
“If you come here in the evening, just before the sun goes down, there’s not a more beautiful place in the whole world,” he said.
Our tour of the Cove took us past pre-Civil War graveyards, churches and settlers’ cabins before we set out on the hike to Abrams Falls.
We passed by thickets of rhododendron and through a landscape dotted with flowering mountain laurel and herbs such as teaberry, Solomon’s seal and wild ginger before making our way up to the ridgeline and the bear cub.
Then it was off to the falls themselves — where Abrams Creek drops 20 feet off a rock ledge to a wide pool. The roaring of the falls, the sounds of people splashing their feet in the water and the shouts of shock from a few brave souls who dove into the chilly April water filled the air and gave a sense of peace found in few places in the modern world.
“At the end of every hike, there’s a jewel,” said Terre Maisel from Mettawa, Ill.
10Best: 10 best under-the-radar national parks
10Best: 10 incredible animals that live in U.S. national parks
There’s good news and bad news for park visitors this year.
Newfound Gap Road, which runs in the park between Tennessee and North Carolina, reopened in mid-April. The road had been closed since a major landslide took out 200 feet of mountainside road in January.
“They got it repaired in less than 90 days,” said Dana Soehn, a public information officer for the park.
Federal budget cuts will affect some services here, as at many other national parks. Three campgrounds in the park are closed, along with two picnic areas. The park is down 10 full-time staff members and had to delay hiring seasonal workers.
Smietana also reports for The Tennessean in Nashville
***
About the park
Size: 521,086 total acres — 276,344 in North Carolina and 244,742 in Tennessee
Visitors: 9,685,829 in 2012
Established: 1934
History: The Great Smoky Mountains was one of the first national parks located on the East Coast.
When visiting: There are four visitor centers in the park: The Cades Cove center on Cades Cove Loop Road near Townsend, Tenn.; the Oconaluftee center on U.S. 441, 2 miles north of Cherokee, N.C.; the Sugarland center 2 miles south of Gatlinburg, Tenn., on U.S. 441; and the Clingmans Dome center 7 miles off U.S. 441 in Tennessee. Visitor information: (865) 436-1200.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trails Closed By Storm Damage, Hiker …
Scores of downed trees have forced the temporary closure of trails at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including the Gabes Mountain Trail. NPS photo.
Editor’s note: This updates the story with rangers rescuing a backcountry hiker who sustained multiple injuries from being hit by a tree.
A military helicopter was used Friday to airlift an injured hiker from the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the wake of a tornado that raked the area and left behind a jumbled tangle of trees that made a foot rescue impractical.
Park officials said 53-year-old Nathan Lipsom, of Cambridge, Mass., was discovered earlier Friday by a backcountry ranger who was patrolling to assess damage and check on hikers in the wake of Thursday’s powerful storm. The man had been hiking along low Gap Trail when the storm hit around 4 p.m. and sustained multiple, unspecified, injuries, a park release said.
The ranger discovered the man about 11:30 a.m. Friday. He remained with the patient and relayed medical and location information to the park incident commander. Park staff organized a rescue operation and dispatched a park medic to the site to further evaluate and stabilize the patient’s condition.
Due to the vast number of downed trees that made a quick ground rescue unlikely, the park requested a Blackhawk helicopter through Haywood County and the State of North Carolina Division of Emergency Management. The helicopter was able to airlift the hiker out of the backcountry about 6:45 p.m. local time Friday. He was then flown to the airport in Asheville, North Carolina, and transported by ground to Mission Hospital.
The winds, delivered by what the National Weather Service described as an EF1 tornado, forced the closure of some trails in the park’s backcountry due to downed trees.
Park officials said the Gabes Mountain Trail and Snake Den Ridge Trail in Cosby, and Baxter Creek Trail and Big Creek in Big Creek had been closed due to scores of downed trees. Along with the trail closures, the park also closed “B” Loop of Cosby Campground due to damage. There was no estimate for reopening the trails or the campground at this time.
“We are in the process of assessing the condition of all of the trails within the storm affected area,” said acting Chief Ranger Steve Kloster. “Hikers and equestrians may want to confirm trail openings by contacting the park’s Backcountry Office or by visiting our website before planning routes through this section of the Park.”
The storm, which hit hardest on the northeastern-most section of the park, was the tail end of a storm system that swept through the Midwest through much of Thursday, the park reported. Air monitoring stations at Clingmans Dome and Look Rock recorded winds in excess of 60 mph.
For the most up-to-date closure information, visit the park’s website or call the Backcountry Office at 865-436-1297.
Smoky Mountains trails closed because of storm damage
KNOXVILLE — Strong thunderstorms that knocked down trees in the Smoky Mountains foothills have forced the closing of some hiking trails.
Meanwhile, an assessment team from the National Weather Service office in Morristown arrived a midday Friday in the Cosby area to determine whether a tornado touched down.
Preliminary information from the weather service Thursday stated there was a report of a funnel cloud and said winds were clocked at more than 65 mph in a number of East Tennessee communities.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park managers report that several trails in Cosby and Big Creek are closed due to extensive damage from the wind and rain during the storm late Thursday afternoon. Scores of trees were felled and the trails were impassible.
Gabes Mountain Trail and Snake Den Ridge Trail in Cosby, and Baxter Creek Trail and Big Creek in Big Creek were closed and park officials said more trail closures were possible. The Park has also closed “B” Loop of Cosby Campground due to storm damage.
“We are in the process of assessing the condition of all of the trails within the storm affected area,” said acting Chief Ranger Steve Kloster. “Hikers and equestrians may want to confirm trail openings by contacting the Park’s Backcountry Office or by visiting our website before planning routes through this section of the Park.”
Updated trail information can be found online at www.nps.gov/grsm or by calling the park’s backcountry office at (865) 436-1297.
Park to offer ‘Leave No Trace’ course June 22-23
Posted: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 2:00 pm
Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host a two-day Leave No Trace trainer course on Saturday, June 22, through Sunday, June 23, at Big Creek Horse Camp in Haywood County. The training is sponsored by the Great Smoky Mountains Association and is available free to anyone who is interested in beginning or expanding their knowledge of LNT.
Leave No Trace is an outdoor ethics program that trains all users to minimize impacts in the backcountry. The two-day trainer course is designed to provide students with a foundation in both frontcountry and backcountry LNT ethics and the tools to teach these principles. Upon completion of the course, students will be certified as LNT trainers and can present programs and teach others about LNT.
This course will cover standard LNT material as well as stock-oriented topics focused on proven methods to reduce stock impacts. It is being taught by LNT master educators from both the Backcountry Horsemen of North Carolina and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
For more information about the course or to register, contact Christine Hoyer at 856-436-1265 by Monday, June 17.
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