Cades Cove Full Moon Walk May 6

Meet at the Orientation Shelter at the entrance to Cades Cove Loop Road at 8:30 pm.

 

Bicycle Mornings Cades Cove Begin May 9

Wednesdays and Saturdays.

 

Back Porch Old-Time Music May 19 

(3rd Saturday of every month)

Porch of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. 

Bring an acoustic instrument and join in on the old-time jam.

 

Cosby in the Park May 19

Cosby Campground Area.

 

Women's Work Festival June 16

Mountain Farm Museum, Oconaluftee, NC.

 

Family Fun Book Signing May 24

Katy Koontz at Sugarlands Visitor Center.

 

 

GSMNP just announced a new reservation system for the Elkmont Firefly Viewing event beginning in 2012. The popularity of the event has increased significantly over the past several years, and this has caused significant problems.

 

For this year's viewing, which runs from Saturday, June 2 through Sunday, June 10, a new on-line ticketing system, operated through Recreation.gov, will provide visitors with parking passes to guarantee they will be able to park at Sugarlands Visitor Center without having to arrive hours in advance. 

 

A parking pass will be required for all vehicles. The number of passes issued for each day will be based on the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot capacity.

 

The shuttle buses, which are provided in partnership with the City of Gatlinburg, will begin picking up visitors from the Sugarlands Visitor Center RV/bus parking area at 7:00 p.m. The cost will be $1 round trip per person, as in previous years, and collected when boarding the shuttle.

 

The shuttle service will be the sole transportation mode for visitor access during this period, except for registered campers staying at the Elkmont Campground. Visitors will not be allowed to walk the Elkmont entrance road due to safety concerns.

 

The majority of parking passes for this year's event will be on sale on-line beginning after 10:00 a.m. April 30. The Park will hold back 25 passes for each day to accommodate individuals who did not learn of the need to pre-purchase tickets. Those last 25 passes will go on sale on-line at 10:00 a.m. the day before the event and will be available until 3:30 p.m. on the day of the event or until the passes are all reserved. 

 

Passes can be purchased at Recreation.gov. Parking passes may also be obtained by calling 1-877-444-6777. The Park will not receive any revenue either from the reservations or the shuttle tickets.

 

May is a great month to do a "top to bottom" hike where you can travel from late winter to late spring by descending in elevation. 

 

Good choices include trails starting from Clingmans Dome Road such as Fork Ridge to Deep Creek or the Appalachian Trail to Sugarland Mountain Trail or Noland Divide Trail. 

 

Of course, if you're interested in maximizing your heart rate, weight loss, and leg strength, these trails can be hiked from bottom to top.

 

All fields in the Cataloochee Valley, and the field east of US Hwy. 441 between the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the fields at Couch's Creek and along Tow String Road, are closed to pedestrian and horse traffic during the months of May and June because this is the elk calving season.

 

During calving season, newborn calves are often bedded down in the tall grass area of the fields. Closing the fields prevents inadvertent contact between visitors and calves, which could lead to disturbance of the calf and or an attack by the mother elk.  

 

But the vista clearing work has begun, so you will get some new views in other areas of the park!

 

May Wildflowers

 

Mountain laurel is coming into bloom! This is one of the most beautiful and abundant flowering shrubs in the Smokies. It can be found at elevations below 5,000 feet in drier pine-oak habitats, especially on the park's west side. Suggested trails include Cove Mountain, Schoolhouse Gap, Chestnut Top, and Abrams Falls.

 

Umbrella and Fraser magnolia trees are also showing their huge, creamy white flowers. These are denizens of rich, moist forests at the lower elevations. A good trail to enjoy these blooms is Gabes Mountain.

 

Click here to see Gary Wilson's new video and hear an AT thru-hiker talk about his motivation for making the long walk.

 

The GSMA hike for May will go to Andrews Bald on the Forney Ridge Trail on Saturday, May 26.

 

Meet at the Clingmans Dome parking lot at 9 am. The hike will be led by Marti Smith, an experienced hiker in the Smokies and 900-miler. It's a 3.8-mile round trip, and considered easy to moderate.

 

The highlight of the hike will be an exposure to the first trail that benefited from the "Trails Forever" trail improvement program. Prior to the program, the beginning of the trail was extremely rocky. It is now much easier to navigate, due to all the hard work of "Trails Forever" National Park Ranger Christine Hoyer and her many volunteers.  

 

We hope to see the Catawba Rhododendrons in bloom on the Bald. It may be a little early, but everything else has been early this year due to the unusually warm winter. Also, from the Bald there are great views of the mountains all the way to Fontana Lake.

 

Bring a snack or lunch and water. Dress in layers and bring rain gear,

just in case.

 

The fee is $5 for GSMA members and $10 for non-members. Children 12 and under are free, but must be accompanied by an adult. Call 865-436-7318, ext. 222 or 254 for reservations.

 

Click here to see Valerie Polk's beautiful video of a hike taken along Little River Trail on April 8.

Summery and Cookout Worthy Treats

 

Colorful Summer Slaw

 

2 tablespoons Foods of the Smokies Sourwood Honey

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/3 cup plain, nonfat yogurt

2 cups shredded green cabbage

1/3 cup shredded carrots

1/3 cup diced Bermuda (purple) onion

1/3 cup diced Roma tomatoes (seeds removed)

1/3 teaspoon garlic

salt and black pepper to taste

 

Prepare and toss together cabbage, onion, carrot, and tomatoes. Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over veggies and toss lightly to combine. Cover and chill 15 to 30 minutes before serving. This is a great light, healthy side for summer cookouts and an excellent topper for barbeque sandwiches that can be prepared ahead!

 

Spicy Cherry Chipotle Barbeque Glaze

 

8 oz. Foods of the Smokies Cherry Preserves [also works well with Peach Preserves]

1 diced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce plus 1/2 teaspoon extra sauce

2 tablespoons Foods of the Smokies Sorghum Molasses

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

 

Whisk together all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Heat on medium to low heat, stirring frequently 5-10 minutes to warm. This sweet, spicy glaze is great on chicken and drizzled over pulled pork and ribs. It combines two of our Foods of the Smokies favorites for a delicious, smoky treat so easy it's perfect for summertime!