Tag: tennessee

December 2024 Friends of the Smokies Newsletter

December 3, 2024

by Jim Matheny Hello, Friends! To have this monthly newsletter delivered directly to your inbox, please sign up! We want[…]

November 2024 Friends of the Smokies Newsletter

November 5, 2024

by Jim Matheny Hello, Friends! To have this monthly newsletter delivered directly to your inbox, please sign up! We want[…]

Meet the Trails Forever Hike Advisory Team

June 25, 2024

Meet our hike advisory team! These volunteers make the Trails Forever Hikes happen by helping lead and sweep the hikes.[…]

2019 Classic Hikes of the Smokies

January 12, 2019

by Julie Dodd Start planning now to join the 2019 Classic Hikes of the Smokies. The hikes are each Tuesday[…]

GSMNP high school internship program provides career insights and inspiration

September 15, 2018

Stuart Hemmer-Skidmore, a senior at the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences in Asheville, NC, participated in the Great Smoky[…]

“Everybody’s National Parks” explores the Smokies

May 9, 2018

Everybody’s National Parks is a podcast dedicated to family adventure in our national parks and a few weeks ago, I[…]

2018 Classic Hikes of the Smokies

February 16, 2018

by Julie Dodd The Classic Hikes of the Smokies series, starting its eighth year, offers a way to hike trails[…]

5 Things to Do If Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Shut Down

January 19, 2018

Updated: Monday, January 22, 11:00am Please understand that if you visit GSMNP during a government shut down, services will be[…]

Hikers explore Elkmont area for December Classic Hike

January 2, 2018

by Julie Dodd The Classic Hikes of the Smokies wrapped up 2017 with a hike in Elkmont on Dec. 14.[…]

The park needs you this Giving Tuesday

November 21, 2017

By now I’m sure you’ve heard of Giving Tuesday in the news or on social media. Following Black Friday and[…]

Parks as Classrooms helps students discover GSMNP, develop appreciation for Park

October 18, 2017

by Julie Dodd Helping elementary, middle school and high school students who live in counties near the Great Smoky Mountains[…]

Rainbow Falls restoration work underway

August 30, 2017

by Julie Dodd The Trails Forever crew is hard at work restoring the Rainbow Falls Trail, one of the popular[…]

GSMNP high school summer internship provides life changing experience

July 31, 2017

by Bryce Trull Blount County High School Five Tennessee high school students participated in a four-week summer internship that focuses[…]

Alum Cave Trail improvements highlight July Classic Hike of the Smokies

July 25, 2017

Steve Pierce was the hike leader for the July Classic Hike of the Smokies to Mt. Le Conte. Steve has[…]

Great views from Charlies Bunion highlight June Classic Hike

June 27, 2017

Steve Winchester was the hike leader for the June Classic Hike of the Smokies. Steve and his wife, Judy, both[…]

Alum Cave Trail restoration improves hiking experience

June 15, 2017

by Julie Dodd An added bonus of a recent hike to Mt. Le Conte was being able to see the[…]

Parks As Classrooms: So Much More Than a Field Trip

April 13, 2017

Kelsey Reese is an Ecology and Biology teacher at Fulton High School in Knox County, TN who recently took her[…]

The Post-Fire Landscape: What to Pull, What to Plant

April 5, 2017

Recovery after November’s tragic wildfires may be a slow and difficult process for many. Homes, businesses, and more importantly, lives[…]

Classic Hikes of Smokies 2017 schedule

February 21, 2017

by Julie Dodd The Classic Hikes of the Smokies 2017 hiking season begins on March 14 March 28, with a hike[…]

Giving Thanks and #GivingTuesday

November 23, 2016

This time of year, we can’t help but be reminded of all the wonderful things we have to be thankful[…]

Noland Creek Trail — November’s Classic Hike

November 18, 2016

by Julie Dodd The November Classic Hike of the Smokies was on a beautiful fall day — ten miles on[…]

Classic Hikes of Smokies help hikers add miles toward Hike 100 Challenge

October 25, 2016

by Julie Dodd Hikers can add 10 miles toward the Hike 100 Challenge by joining the Friends of the Smokies Classic[…]

Alum Cave Trail restoration work nears completion

October 7, 2016

by Julie Dodd Restoration work on the Alum Cave Trail, one of the most popular trails in the Smokies, will[…]

Mt. Cammerer provides view for Classic Hike of the Smokies

September 21, 2016

Mt. Cammerer was the goal for the FOTS Classic Hike of the Smokies on Sept. 13, with the Mt. Cammerer[…]

Summer interns value GSMNP experiences

August 30, 2016

by Linden Jones Rising Junior at Asheville School Asheville, North Carolina Our six weeks in the Smokies were eye opening.[…]

Celebrating 100 Years of America’s Best Idea

August 25, 2016

When President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act on August 25, 1916, there were only 35 national parks in[…]

Wildland firefighting requires physical fitness & teamwork

August 18, 2016

by Matthew Sullivan GSMNP Intern Cape Fear High School (Fayettesville, NC) graduate Student in the Oconaluftee Job Corps Center, Cherokee,[…]

Classic Hikes of the Smokies – Charlies Bunion and Mt. Sterling

July 25, 2016

by Julie Dodd Hikers of the Classic Hikes of the Smokies for June and July added 15.4 miles toward the[…]

Volunteer with Trails Forever Crew on Alum Cave Trail

June 26, 2016

by Julie Dodd Being a Trails Forever crew volunteer is a great way to be a part of restoring some of the[…]

Clingmans Dome Restoration: What’s it all about?

June 17, 2016

For the last few weeks, we’ve been pushing you all to vote for Clingmans Dome in a grant competition hosted[…]

Elkmont area restoration funded, in part, by FOTS

May 2, 2016

by Julie Dodd The news that the Wonderland Hotel Annex in the Elkmont area of the park was destroyed by[…]

Porters Creek Trail provides view of spring wildflowers

April 27, 2016

by Julie Dodd The April Classic Hike of the Smokies was the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier, Tennessee, section of[…]

2016 Evergreen Ball Raises $500k in Celebration of NPS Centennial

February 9, 2016

The Evergreen Ball is always a special event, but this year, it was really something else. We were joined by[…]

FOTS Classic Hike to Chimney Tops provides views and insights on trail restoration

November 12, 2015

  by Julie Dodd Trail renovation, mountain-top views, and life in the area before the establishment of the GSMNP were[…]

GSMNP Adds DC Fast-Charging to Green Alternatives

October 1, 2015

Superintendent Cassius Cash joined representatives from East TN Clean Fuels Coalition, Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition, US Dept of[…]

High school interns learn about GSMNP wildlife, staff and programs

September 8, 2015

by Martina Junod Rising Senior, William Blount High School – Maryville, Tenn. The six weeks of the internship for high[…]

Gone Fishing with Experience Your Smokies

September 5, 2015

The forecast had been calling for rain on Thursday the whole week running up to our second Experience Your Smokies[…]

Becoming a Working Part of Alum Cave Trail

August 18, 2015

by Peyton C. Proffitt “The morning, which is the most memorable season of the day, is the awakening hour. Then[…]

Experience Your Smokies: Class of 2015

July 27, 2015

by Brent McDaniel, Director of Marketing Between our 10 million visitors each year, there are plenty of ways to experience[…]

GSMNP Summer Internship Program provides learning opportunities for high school students

July 14, 2015

by Kyra Mehaffey Rising Senior Pisgah High School – Canton, North Carolina High school students scrambled to get their applications[…]

5 Summer Hikes You’ll Love

July 8, 2015

By Holly Scott Jones, Marketing Director Summer is the perfect time to take a hike! From beginners to expert backpackers,[…]

Trails Forever crew making progress on Alum Cave Trail

June 30, 2015

by Julie Dodd If you’ve hiked the Alum Cave Trail in the last few weeks, you know that The Friends[…]

Avent Cabin provides hiking treasure hunt and history lesson

June 19, 2015

by Julie Dodd If you’re looking for a Smokies hike that includes a treasure hunt, a trip back in time,[…]

86th Anniversary of the “Goodwill Tour”

June 9, 2015

On June 9, 1929, staff from the Knoxville News Sentinel​ and the Asheville Citizen-Times​ met on top of Clingmans Dome[…]

Alum Cave Trail restoration underway as part of FOTS Trails Forever project

May 12, 2015

by Julie Dodd Restoration work has started on the Alum Cave Trail, one of the most popular trails in the[…]

#FindYourPark Contest Winners

May 5, 2015

For National Park Week (April 18-26), we wanted to celebrate Great Smoky Mountains National Park and this year’s theme, Find Your[…]

Trail Review: Abrams Falls Trail

Jennfier Karrasch shared her review of Abrams Falls Trail with us for National Park Week. Thanks to everyone who entered[…]

Group hikes and hiking workshop provide support for Smokies hiking

March 24, 2015

by Julie Dodd Now is a great time of year for hiking in the Smokies. If you are new to[…]

800,010 reasons to get a Friends license plate

March 10, 2015

by Brent McDaniel In North Carolina and Tennessee, you see specialty license plates all the time while driving down the[…]

NPS Collections Preservation Center’s construction underway in Townsend, TN

February 24, 2015

by Julie Dodd Work is underway on the new NPS Collections Preservation Center, a facility to preserve more than 400,000[…]

2015 Evergreen Ball

February 5, 2015

January 31st was the 12th Annual Evergreen Ball to benefit Friends of the Smokies and it was a huge success![…]

Trailcams capture Chimney Tops Trail restoration work

January 28, 2015

by Julie Dodd Thanks to the photo planning and editing skills of Tobias Miller, Smokies Trail Crew Supervisor, you can[…]

Making It Clear: Understanding Water Quality Research

January 6, 2015

Friends of the Smokies has already contributed more than $600,000 to support water quality monitoring in Great Smoky Mountains National[…]

Restoring trails and supporting wildlife — FOTS highlights in 2014

December 30, 2014

by Julie Dodd This post shares highlights of some of the Friends of the Smokies projects for the Great Smoky[…]

2014 Friends Across the Mountains Telethon

August 26, 2014

Thank you again for your outpouring of support for our 20th Annual Friends Across the Mountains Telethon. Because of your[…]

A Special “Thank You” to Holly Scott

August 12, 2014

Hello Friends, While we normally share scenic photos, hiking trails, and great stories from the park on our blog, I’d[…]

Ice on the Appalachian Trail vs. Spring flowers in Cades Cove = Smokies Surprises

March 19, 2014

by Holly Scott, Marketing Director When last week’s blog post debuted on Wednesday at 6 a.m., it was 60+ degrees[…]

Camping in the Smokies Today (Oct. 16) – What You Need to Know

October 16, 2013

by Holly Scott, Marketing Director Camping in the Smokies Today (Oct. 16th) – Edited This post was written on October[…]

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Open Again

by Holly Scott, Marketing Director Great Smoky Mountains National Park reopened at 8 a.m. today (Oct. 16). That’s right, Cades[…]

UPDATED-5 Alternative Hikes for Fall Fun Near the Smokies

October 10, 2013

by Holly Scott, Marketing Director Week 2 of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Shutdown Oops. According to Bryson City, I’m[…]

5 Things You Can Do While Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Shutdown

October 2, 2013

By Holly Scott, Marketing Director As you may have heard, due to the government shut-down, Great Smoky Mountains National Park[…]

Smoky Mountains Parks as Classrooms Program

August 8, 2013

by Holly Scott Friends of the Smokies, Marketing Director More than 20,000 kids every year get to go to school[…]

Get Your Banff On in Knoxville

February 27, 2013

by Holly Scott Friends of the Smokies Marketing Director Four years ago on a warm spring evening, my colleague Sarah[…]

The Impact of Your “Friends”

February 8, 2013

by Meridith Powell, Board of Directors, Friends of the Smokies Today, I had a great reminder of why Friends of[…]