After two years of hard work, Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials celebrated the completion of the Rainbow Falls Trail rehabilitation project on November 14.

This six-mile trail is one of the most popular in the park and was rehabilitated on schedule, thanks to the efforts of the park trail crew, American Conservation Experience interns and volunteers.

Many improvements were done to enhance safety, stabilize erosion and repair natural damage.

Want to know more about what goes into a trail rehabilitation project like this one? Here are just a few stats to give you an idea:

No matter where your travels take you this holiday weekend, there's a good chance you'll find yourself near a public land.

As Americans, we are blessed with an abundance of green spaces, from community playgrounds to 400+ national park units. In fact, most of us can access an outdoor space with little effort these days.

If you plan to factor the Great Smoky Mountains into your holiday weekend, we hope you'll stop by one of the park's many visitor centers for help planning your #OptOutside adventure.

Sure, Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in the country, but as the visitor center bookstore operator, we at Great Smoky Mountains Association still consider ourselves a small, local business with a handful of friendly sales associates who call East Tennessee/Western North Carolina home.

When you shop the Smokies this holiday season, not only will you be supporting one of your most beloved national parks, you'll be supporting local folks who are lucky enough to call the Smokies home.

We've tinkered with our new website long enough. Now it's your turn.

Click HERE to launch our quick, 10-question website scavenger hunt. For just a few minutes of your time before December 31, you can earn a 5% savings on your next online purchase, just in time for holiday shopping. Plus, you just might learn a little something extra about Great Smoky Mountains Association.

By next week, Great Smoky Mountains Association members should have receive your Bearpaw newsletter, the first one sent to you on our new summer/winter mailing schedule.

In it you'll find an opportunity to donate to our Legacy Fund, which, when fully funded at some $20 million, will make it possible for GSMA to contribute millions more annually to educational, scientific and preservation efforts within Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Contributions to the GSMA Legacy Fund are 100% tax deductible. All who contribute will receive an acknowledgement in January, in time for your 2018 tax return deadline.

Festival of Christmas Past is Saturday, December 8, at Sugarlands Visitor Center. Join us to celebrate Christmas in the mountains with old-time music, harp singing, storytelling and reminiscing, craft demonstrations such as weaving, spinning, quilting, basket making, historic toys and games, and children's activities. 

Holiday Homecoming is Saturday, December 15, at Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas celebration in the Smokies with traditional music.

The holiday spirit can certainly be felt here in the Smokies. Our outside temperatures have decreased, while our internal feelings of warmth toward all our valued members, volunteers and visitors have increased.

As a thank you to the millions of you who support the Smokies in so many ways, we will launch our first-ever 12 Days of Smoky Mountain Christmas giveaways via our Facebook page December 1-12. Like and follow our page HERE for details.

Wherever you find yourself this winter, you'll be ready for all types of weather with our latest Great Smoky Mountains National Park winter gear. Our new beanie – available in multiple colors – traps in vital heat, while showing off your individual style with its super cozy, thick texture and faux fur pom.

This hat adds a touch of luxury to everyday use. Our new reversible windbreaker – available in pink with black accents and gray with the same black accents – keeps out the elements while retaining your own body heat. This jacket, one of our most popular of all times, is water resistant on one side, soft fleece on the other. Zippered pockets, removable hood and embroidered park logo illustrating a historic cabin, tulip poplar tree and black bear complete your outerwear!

Jacket Regular Price: $34.95

*Jacket Member Price: $29.70

Rich, warm cranberry. Smoky Mountain sky blue. Tulip poplar green. Iconic black bear black. Find all our pottery mugs styles HERE. Line them up on your countertop to make an bold statement of your support for Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Everyone in your family and friend circle will enjoy the year-round beauty of America's most visited national park. Our 2019 Great Smoky Mountains National Park calendar features dynamic images by gifted photographers Joye Ardyn Durham, Don McGowan and George Humphries. 

Our wall calendar includes hiking information, wildflower blooming dates, sunrise and sunset times, park weather summaries and park special events. Additionally it highlights the strong, independent women featured in Courtney Lix's book  Women of the Smokies .

Women of the Smokies Regular Price: $14.95

*Women of the Smokies MemberPrice:

$12.70

Fun and challenging for children 6+ years of age, our mini block kits are available in designs iconic to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including a white-tailed deer fawn, Clingmans Dome tower (pictured), junior park ranger, black bear cub and U.S. Forest Service mascot Smokey Bear.

"Our members are the lifeblood of our organization," said Great Smoky Mountains Association Chief Executive Officer Laurel Rematore. "You are today’s stewards of Great Smoky Mountains National Park ; you take the time to learn about the park’s resources; you honor its rich history; you buy and read our publications ; and you contribute your member dues, donations , and time so that this park can continue to inspire people for generations to come."

When you take our Chestnut Challenge by upgrading your level of support, we say thank you by entering you to win one of two gift packages provided by area businesses . These gift packages are designed for the more adventurous. If that doesn't sound like you, Chestnut Challenge entries can be applied to gift memberships, as well.

The seven-mile stretch of road that carries cars to the top of ol' Smoky will close to vehicular traffic for the winter on the evening of Sunday, December 2. (Exact closure dates are weather dependent. Follow #SmokiesRoadInfo on Twitter for the latest road conditions in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.)

Before we close up shop, we invite all to take one more stroll to the top of the newly renovated tower, enjoy the 360-degree view, and soak up one more gorgeous sunset.

Then, join our staff for an open house sweet treat that includes 20% savings on Clingmans Dome-labeled educational merchandise. Click HERE for details.

Thanksgiving is no time to worry about calorie counting (or so most of us tell ourselves each year). If you are watching what you eat, though, these sweet potatoes with wildflower honey from the Great Smoky Mountains count as a healthy side dish at any time of the year.

Ingredients

- 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

- 1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling potatoes after cooked

- 1/4 C wildflower honey

- 2 tsp ground cinnamon

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lay the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle the oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes in oven or until tender. Take sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil.

Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence,

Food Network

If your idea of complete career fulfillment is working in a national park, we may have exactly what you're looking for. Great Smoky Mountains Association is seeking an information technology specialist to manage, maintain and develop our multi operating systems (Mac and PC) for point-of-sale, membership, graphic design, accounting, network operations, telecommunications, buildings security, cyber security, and to provide user training and support.

Will Great Smoky Mountains National Park retain the title of Most Visited National Park in 2018? Only time will tell...

January - 320,864

February - 399,156

March - 689,235

April - 820,657

May - 985,145

June - 1,414,241

July - 1,468,273

August - 1,195,360

September - 1,369,637

October - 1,263,665

Total for 2018 = 9,926,233

The most recent issue of Smokies Guide , Great Smoky Mountains National Park's official park newspaper, is available to read online and can be mailed to you for free (S&H charges apply). Call 865.436.7318, Ext. 226 for mailing details.

Great Smoky Mountains Association's Cub Report e-newsletter is published on or about the last Wednesday of each month, with the exception of January.

These talented individuals contributed to this issue:

Laurel Rematore, Chief Executive Officer

Lisa Duff, Cub Report Editor

Creative Staffers: Emma DuFort, Frances Figart, Karen Key, Sarah Kirkland, Charley Mathis, Breckenridge Morgan, Dana Murphy, Valerie Polk, Peyton Proffitt and Dawn Roark

Note from Lisa: With Thanksgiving upon us, I'm grateful for our talented staffers, all of whom illustrate daily their dedication to our mission. Each month we 'Cubbies' gather and distribute park happenings and GSMA highlights to help you - our loyal readers - stay engaged with the national park. If a Cub Report story has inspired you at any time in the past, please consider showing your support with a donation in honor of our incredible staff.

In addition to our web store, Great Smoky Mountains Association operates 11 visitor contact stations in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park. GSMA staff members are always available to help you find educational materials to enhance your park experience.