A Smoky Mountain local recalls the tale of the tower that was almost canceled The Hatfields and the McCoys. The Jets and the Sharks. The Capulets and the Montagues. The National Park Service and the National Park Association. Queue freeze frame, quizzical look and record scratch. What? That’s right. The organization that was to be the voice of the National Parks
How to tell the difference between a mountain lion and a bobcat It’s been more than 100 years since mountain lions have lived in the Smokies. However, if you spend enough time around mountain folk, you’ll hear of someone who knows someone who knows someone who saw a panther – or its prints – in the national park. Sure, the mountains
What you should know about snakes in the Smoky Mountains There is something primal about our fear of snakes. I suppose it’s the lack of legs or the possibility of a painful bite that reaches the core of our DNA. Once when I was young, my friends and I approached some overgrown grass. We were met by a hooded snake
The hidden tunnel at Kuwohi is becoming a tourist attraction in its own right Nearly everyone who has visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is familiar with Kuwohi, formerly Clingmans Dome, and its famous observation tower, located along the state line of Tennessee and North Carolina. Completed in 1959, the tower is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains.
This hidden moss covered bridge in the Smoky Mountains looks like something out of a fairy tale The Great Smoky Mountains are rich in history and full of hidden gems. Through the sands of time, these lost landmarks become something of whimsical fantasies. An old spring house becomes a fairy house. A trail connection becomes a hidden, abandoned tunnel. And
Smoky Mountain native recalls some of the biggest unsolved mountain mysteries over the years As someone who has lived in the foothills of the Smokies for a number of years, I’ll be the first to tell you that the mountains are as vast as they are beautiful. But they can also be deep and unforgiving. There are hundreds of thousands
An area Smoky Mountain resident’s plea to park visitors I see them every so often: Someone visiting one of our national parks with little or no common sense. Maybe they’re out west and get too close to a buffalo. Or maybe they’re in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and want a photo op with a family of black bears (I see
Surprising facts about black bears and their cubs in the winter months It’s commonly thought that all black bears (both male and female) spend the entire winter sleeping in a dark cave, surviving off a bunch of stored-up body fat. So why do we see so many bears actively roaming alongside deer and elk around the Cades Cove Loop in
There’s an old springhouse in the Smokies that looks like something straight out of a fairy tale If you’re like me, and you’ve lived in the Smoky Mountains for a considerable amount of time, there’s a chance you’ve heard about The House of Fairies – an unusual moss-covered structure located off the beaten path in the Smoky Mountains. But now
When Halloween approaches, our thoughts tend to shift to candy, costumes and pumpkin spice. But there are places in the world – and in these mountains – where the old ways haven’t entirely been lost. There is a chill from these spirits and their stories that has lingered from those who have passed tragically or with unfinished business. With a