Great Smoky Mountains National Park Audio, Essay, and Photography Blog

Scenes of Summer

June 25, 2010 – 10:25 pm

The park is a busy place in the summer. Life abounds and park visitation soars. Native shrubs and wildflowers make a beautiful show. Waterfalls and streams cool the warm summer air. Enjoy the start of summer with this scenic trip to Cataloochee and the music of Bill Mize. Click here to watch!

Closed captioning is available for this video by clicking the caption button in the lower right-hand corner of the video controls.

By admin | Posted in Minute in the Mountains: Scenery & Music, Scenic Views, Video | Tagged Cataloochee, Clingmans Dome, Elk, Flowers, Great Smoky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rhododendron, Smokey Mountains, Smokies, Summer | Comments (0)

Mama Bear and Three Cubs

June 16, 2010 – 10:37 am

Last week, I had the privilege of watching a mother bear and her cubs feeding and playing across the field in Cades Cove, entertaining a gathering of Cove visitors. With their considerable distance from the loop road, the bears seemed hardly aware of our presence and carried about their business comfortably–the large mama bear feeding and keeping watch while the cubs climbed in and out of trees and grazed amongst the tall grass. Enjoy!!!

By admin | Posted in Bears, Video | Tagged Bear, Bears, Black Bear, Black Bears, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Smokey Mountains, Smokies | Comments (3)

Hike the Smokies Challenge Videos

June 11, 2010 – 9:37 am

Earlier this year, I put together a video for the park’s Hike the Smokies Challenge. It’s a neat program the encourages people to get out and hike and record their mileage. You can get a cool pin for hiking 100, 250 and 500 miles! Check out the video to learn important information about being prepared for day hiking.

There will be more videos to come covering lots of things you need to know for a day on the trail.

Closed captioning is available for this video by clicking the caption button in the lower right-hand corner of the video controls.

By admin | Posted in Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Video, Weather | Tagged Day-Pack, Fall, Great Smoky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hike, Hiking, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Lightning, Safety, Seasons, Smokey Mountains, Smokies, Snow, Spring, Storm, Stream Crossing, Summer, Weather, Winter | Comments (1)

Hike to Charlies Bunion

May 26, 2010 – 9:12 am

What a view! The 8-mile roundtrip hike to Charlies Bunion will reward you with a broad view of the Great Smoky Mountains that you won’t forget. And when you are done, you can say you’ve hiked on the Appalachian Trail! Click here to see what it’s like.

Closed captioning is available for this video by clicking the caption button in the lower right-hand corner of the video controls.

By admin | Posted in Appalachian Trail, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Scenic Views, Video | Tagged Appalachian Trail, AT, Charlies Bunion, Great Smoky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hike, Hiking, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Horace Kephart, Smokey Mountains, Smokies, Spruce-fir Forest | Comments (14)

Walking with Wildflowers on the AT

May 18, 2010 – 2:00 pm

A short walk on the Appalachian Trail offers displays of earlier spring flowers and specimens that grow only at the highest elevations. Click here to see what’s blooming on top of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Closed captioning is available for this video by clicking the caption button in the lower right-hand corner of the video controls.

By admin | Posted in Appalachian Trail, Befuddled Botanist - Flora - Plants, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Minute in the Mountains: Scenery & Music, Wildflowers | Tagged Appalachian Trail, AT, Bluets, Flowers, Great Smoky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hike, Hiking, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Smokey Mountains, Smokies, Trillium, Wake Robin, Wildflowers | Comments (0)

What Bears Do…

May 7, 2010 – 2:07 pm

So many of you are sharing your great bear pictures with us on our Facebook page! Well, here’s a short clip I captured while driving through the park this week. This bear is doing what they always seem to be doing when I see them–EATING. The bear was leisurely grazing amongst the ferns and may-apples in the woods near the road. But when it got more interested in sampling the plants right next to the road (and quite close to our little group of bear watchers), picture time was over!

By the way, the video camera is zoomed way in for this. Always keep a safe distance from bears. Click here to share the exciting experience of bear watching in the Smokies!

By admin | Posted in Bears, Bunglesome Biologist - Fauna - Critters, Video | Tagged Bear, Bears, Black Bear, Black Bears, Great Smoky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Comments (0)

Cades Cove Reopens!

April 28, 2010 – 8:21 am

Saturday, April 24 was the official reopening ceremony for Cades Cove! Visitors came out to walk, run, hike, and, of course, bike the 11-mile freshly paved road that is the most-visited place in the park. Click here to see what they had to say about it!

Closed captioning is available for this video by clicking the caption button in the lower right-hand corner of the video controls.

By admin | Posted in Events, Mountain Voices: Interviews With Locals and Visitors, Video | Tagged Abrams Falls, Bicycle, Bike, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hike, Hiking, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Smokey Mountains, Smokies | Comments (2)

Cades Cove Auto Tour

April 23, 2010 – 11:55 pm

Cades Cove gets its grand reopening Saturday after the repaving of the loop road, so brush up on your knowledge of this popular destination with Elizabeth and Jill!

PART 1: Ever hear of a “stranger room”? Do you know how a spring house works? Click here or on the photo to view the video!

PART 2: Explore the Cable Mill area and meet Ken, the miller! Learn how corn meal is made in this grist mill that was built in the 1860s. Click here or on the photo to check it out!

PART 3: Take a look at some of the historic homes and structures in Cades Cove, and the people who lived and worked there. They experienced good times and hardships in this beautiful mountain setting. Click here or on the photo to view the video!

Closed captioning is available for these videos by clicking the caption button in the lower right-hand corner of the video controls.

By admin | Posted in Auto Tours in the Great Smoky Mountains, Video | Tagged Auto Tour, Barn, Bear, Bears, Bicycle, Black Bears, Cabin, Cades Cove, Church, Coyote, Deer, Drive, Great Smoky Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Loop, Smokey Mountains, Smokies | Comments (5)