Little Bottoms Trail a week ago

 

 Hello! Dave the hiker from Nashville and I walked along
the Little Bottoms trail on a recent Saturday afternoon, enjoying the quiet noise of the forest beside Abrams Creek.
Dave the hiker took these photos as we walked this moderately difficult trail.
Much like the other end of this trail, coming out of Cades Cove, this section is rough, often skinny, and has numerous ups and downs in elevation and would not be recommended
for anyone seeking an easier softer walk.
However if you're in relatively good health and have something to drink you'll probably be ok.
Parking is near the Abrams Creek ranger residence. From this parking area one has access to some nice, less traveled routes.
And if you're just looking for a nice evening walk park here and walk towards the Abrams Creek Campground.  You'll find about a 1/4 mile or so of hard packed road along the creek until you reach  the campground.

Prescribed Burn Operations Set for November 19 and 20

Crews plan to complete fall prescribed burn operations in Cades Cove on Tuesday, November 19 in the 304-acre Tipton-Oliver unit and on Wednesday, November 20 in the 90-acre Cable House unit near the Abrams Falls Trailhead.  Hikers should expect temporary closures of the Abrams Falls Trailhead access road throughout the day.  Please see below for more details.

Visitors should expect to see fire activity and smoke during prescribed burn operations. Fire managers ask that motorists reduce speed in work zones, but refrain from stopping in the roadways. If smoke is present, motorists should roll up windows and turn on headlights.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian-Piedmont-Coastal Zone fire management staff plan to burn approximately 660 acres of fields on the western end of Cades Cove. Weather permitting, burn operations will occur between Wednesday, November 6 and Friday, December 20. The operations are expected to be conducted on three separate days. Media updates will be provided before burn operations. So stay tuned!

Over the last 20 years, park managers have conducted these burns during the spring and fall under specific prescription parameters to safely reduce fuels, restore meadow habitats, and maintain the historic landscape of Cades Cove. Park staff closely monitor fire weather conditions including vegetation and soil moisture, wind speed and direction, temperature, and relative humidity to ensure that conditions meet the burn plan objectives for the site. 

“The selected fields will be burned to restore meadow species, prevent the open fields from being reclaimed by forest, and to reduce hazardous fuels,” said Fire Management Officer Greg Salansky.

Visitors should expect to see firefighters and equipment along Hyatt Lane and the western end of the Cades Cove Loop Road. The loop road and historic structures will remain open to visitor use, but brief delays and temporary closures may occur to ensure public safety during burn operations. Park staff will be present to answer questions during operations at overlooks and parking areas. Specifically, the crew plans to burn the following units depicted in orange on the attached map: 185-acre old field, 304-acre Tipton-Oliver field, 87-acre cemetery marsh field, and 90-acre Cable House field.

For more information on the use of prescribed burns in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/wildlandfire.htm.

Road Closing due to Weather Advisory

US Hwy 441 Newfound Gap Road between Gatlinburg TN and Cherokee NC will close at 7:00pm tonight Monday 11/11/19 due to winter weather advisory. The park will advise when re-opened. GSMNP twitter link here: https://twitter.com/smokiesroadsnps

Burning Cades Cove

Park Plans Prescribed Burn in Cades Cove 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian-Piedmont-Coastal Zone fire management staff plan to burn approximately 660 acres of fields on the western end of Cades Cove. Weather permitting, burn operations will occur between Wednesday, November 6 and Friday, December 20. The operations are expected to be conducted on three separate days.  

The loop road and historic structures will remain open to visitor use, but brief delays and temporary closures may occur to ensure public safety during burn operations.

Visitors should expect to see firefighters and equipment along Hyatt Lane and the western end of the Cades Cove Loop Road. 

Over the last 20 years, park managers have conducted these burns during the spring and fall under specific prescription parameters to safely reduce fuels, restore meadow habitats, and maintain the historic landscape of Cades Cove. 

Park staff closely monitor fire weather conditions including vegetation and soil moisture, wind speed and direction, temperature, and relative humidity to ensure that conditions meet the burn plan objectives for the site. 

These seasonal controlled burns help perpetuate native herbaceous species that provide high quality cover and foraging opportunities for a diversity of wildlife including deer, turkeys, and ground nesting birds.

Park staff will be present to answer questions during operations at overlooks and parking areas. 

Tree's and Colors

Dudes and Dudettes! Wow, Sunday I was doing some volunteer work in the GSMNP, and was unable to access the trail I was scheduled to work on until after 9am, due to all the blow downs from the high winds over the previous 24 hours.

Visitors were backing up at the SVC by 8am, wanting to know when the roads would open.
Crews were out early Sunday morning clearing trees and had most of the park open by noon! Great work.
These pictures are from some hikes I've taken over the last few days. Peak colors are likely in the next week to 10 days.

Sunday, 10/26/19,Trees Down and Many roads Closed

With high winds yesterday, Saturday 10/26/19, and overnight,  much of the Great Smoky Mtns. NP, is currently closed due to FALLEN TREES CAUSING road closures. Stay tuned to the GSMNP twiiter site which you'll find a link to on this page. Be safe.
https://twitter.com/smokiesroadsnps

Fall Colors in the Appalachian Mtns. and Great Smoky Mountains NP

TEMPORARY RESTRICTION ON CAMPFIRES IN THE BACKCOUNTRY CONTINUES IN EFFECT 

In the Great Smoky Mountains NP

Alert 1 , Severity ,danger ,,TEMPORARY RESTRICTION ON CAMPFIRES IN THE BACKCOUNTRY IN EFFECTDue to drought conditions, there is a temporary restriction on campfires in the backcountry. Use of backpacking stoves that utilize pre-packaged compressed gas canisters is still permitted. Carry extra water as springs may be running low or dry.
So….it's fall in the smokies! And with this time of year lots and lots of folks travel to the Appalachian Mountains to view the colors of the fall foliage. Peak colors for the area including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is projected to be the last week of this month, October.
Trees and other plants have been affected by the hot and dry period this area has been in for most of the last month, until it started cooling off the first week of October and much of this area had some rain the 15th and 16th.
Trees are changing, and the guess that the last week of the month will be the peak is looking pretty accurate. Dogshead thinks so.