Nature Pods Guide Application

If you’re a nature lover who feels the urge to identify animals and insects that cross your path, this little iPod application is made for you.  Instead of lugging around heavy-duty nature books weighed down by colorful illustrations and information, Apple has created a downloadable application that offers the same features but with more ease and convenience.  With a simple touch, you are able to discover 61 regularly occurring species in such territories.  Each and every species is provided with a variety of pictures and illustrations covering every stage of an insect’s life.  Helpful identification tips, a “phenogram” chart, and maps that show where the species are likely to be found are just a few features offered through this application.  To help you get a closer view, you’re able to rotate and zoom each photo to your liking.

Wildflower Bloom Calender

Wildflowers fill the Smoky Mountains with color and life for everyone on the trails to enjoy. However, certain wildflowers are more prevalent at certain times of the year. For a complete schedule of when specific flowers bloom in the smokies, visit this website.

Backpacker Magazine’s Smokies Trails

                                                         

Backpacker Magazine has added a section to their website that gives you an in-depth synopsis of the trails located in the Smoky Mountains. This feature offers insightful information regarding featured hikes, their precise mileage, recommended routes, and places of interest to stop along the way on the trek. To make sure that your trip to the Smoky Mountains is complete, this guide is a must-view for any hiking enthusiast. This tool is a real treat and a definite plus and advantage to your hiking experience.

To check out other hiking locations and informative outdoor tips visit http://www.backpacker.com/ .

Douglas Lake

Douglas Lake, located outside Sevierville, has more to offer than you may expect. The Lake offers activities such as camping, swimming, and boating. For the fisherman in your family, Douglas Lake is perfect. It is ranked top 5 in the nation for Crappie and top 10 for Large Moth Bass. If fishing is not for you, then spend the day just relaxing on the water. Houseboats, ski boats, and pontoon boats are all available to rent from the marina. Douglas lake will surely provide you and your family a weekend of fun. If you’re not a family of campers, click here for lodging around the Douglas Lake area.

Grotto Falls, Gatlinburg, TN

Grotto Falls is located on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail in Gatlinburg, TN. Grotto Falls is the only waterfall in the park that you can safely walk behind. The 1.5-mile hike to the falls is through a hemlock forest with large American beeches, maples, and silverbells. Round-trip the hike is 3 miles. The trail to the 30-foot waterfall is one of the most popular hikes in all of the Smokies. If you have a picnic lunch, the big rocks around the falls are a great place to set up with the family and get caught up in the serenity of the Park.


 

Directions:

From Gatlinburg take Airport Road at traffic light 8 to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. During spring, summer, and fall, park in the Grotto Falls parking lot about 2 miles into the Nature Trail. Access road is closed in the winter. The Grotto Falls Trail begins at the parking area and soon joins the Trillium Gap Trail on its way to Grotto Falls.

Hiking Tips for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 

As the weather gets warmer, there will be an increasing amount of hikers in the National Park. Here are a few tips to keep you safe during your hike.

- Consider the weather: if you get caught in a thunderstorm, stay off the balds and away from open areas (meadows) in order to avoid getting hit by lightening. Always carry raingear.

- Know your limitations: on average, hikers travel 2 miles per hour

- Stick to the trails: you are more likely to get lost or injured if you wonder off the established trails. If you do become lost or overtaken by darkness, stay calm and remain where you are. If you do this, you are more likely to be rescued within a few hours. It may take days to locate hikers who have wondered off the trails. You should never hike alone!

- You should wear bells, whistles, or take loudly in areas if you are afraid you may come across a bear.

- Stream water may contain impurities and parasites that can make you sick. So before drinking it, you should boil, filter, or treat it with iodine pills.

Hiking Safety, The Great Smoky Mountains

 

While you are hiking the mountains this spring and summer remember these tips to get the most out of your hiking experience. Remember to travel responsibly and not to wonder off the designated trails and permitted areas. It is best to hike with two or three other people to increase safety. Please respect the rights of other hikers and campers. It is safe to take a map of the area and know the regulations for the trails you are on. While packing for your trip, remember that your pack weight should not exceed 1/3 your body weight. And remember, do your part to help out the park and environment – take out what you brought in. The safer you are the more fun your experience will be. 

The Institute at Tremont, for the nature lover in all of us

 

For a fun and educational experience within the Great Smoky Mountains, check out the Institute at Tremont.  The Institute has been connecting people to nature for over 39 years. Teachers, students, parents, vacationers and photographers can learn about the cultural and natural history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park through in-depth educational programs, weekend hikes, camping programs for families, etc.  To find out more about what the entire Institute at Tremont offers call 865-448-6709.

A Winter Wonderland at Abrams Falls

 

Abrams Falls is a sight to behold in the wintertime. While the trek is fairly easy (5-miles round-trip), plan on roughly three hours, depending on your pace. With the departure point for this hike lying within Cades Cove, it is a popular trek among hikers. For a less busy hike, try making the trek very early in the morning or in the “off” season before May or after the last pockets of Fall color have disappeared. However, even on more crowded days, the hike to Abrams Falls is worth the effort.

The name Abrams is a shortened reference to Abraham, the Cherokee chief of a village on the Little Tennessee near the mouth of what is now Abrams Creek. The hike allows you to climb to approximately 1,800 feet at one point, but when you arrive at the falls you are actually 300 feet lower than when you started.

The trail to Abrams Falls parallels Abrams Creek most of the way, except when Abrams Creek twists left from Arbutus Ridge to form a nearly one-mile loop resembling a “horseshoe,” a stretch of the creek that has always been populated with trout fishermen when we’ve passed. At mile 2.5 you will cross Wilson Branch and take the short side trail to the falls. When you reach Abrams Falls have the camera ready – it’s really nice and highly secluded. Enjoy.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 

Cades Cove is a lush valley surrounded by mountains and one of the most popular destinations in the Great Smokies. Cades Cove has lots to offer including a dozen hiking and horseback riding trails. Deer are almost always sighted in the fields, and observations of other wildlife, including bear, Wild Turkey, and fox are possible. Please use pullouts when viewing wildlife and never approach or feed animals.

A wide array of historic buildings dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries is scattered throughout the cove. These include a gristmill, a variety of barns, three churches, and a marvelous collection of log homes and outbuildings.

An 11-mile one-way loop road takes you around the cove. Visitors can views many of the early settlers’ home sites, however many of the preserved buildings are located outside the loop. The Traffic will be heavy during the tourist season in summer and fall and on weekends year-round.