Archive for the ‘Elkmont’ Category

Synchronous Fireflies in the Smokies next week

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
The synchronous fireflies of Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains will again be at their peak next week. If you plan on veiwing the lightning bugs, you should be aware that the park closes the road to Elkmont each evening. As in years past, the only way to access the area is by using the trolley service provided by the park from the Sugarlands Visitor Center beginning this Saturday through the following Sunday night (June 4-12).

Additional Details:

The Elkmont entrance road will be closed to motor vehicles and pedestrian use every night from 5:00 p.m. until midnight, June 4-12, except to registered campers staying at the Elkmont Campground.

The trolleys will begin picking up visitors from the Sugarlands Visitor Center RV/bus parking area at 7 p.m. The trolleys will run continually until the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking area is full, or until 9 p.m., whichever comes first. The last trolley to return visitors from Elkmont to the Sugarlands Visitor Center is scheduled at 11 p.m. The cost will be $1 round trip per person as in previous years.

For more information about the synchronous fireflies, including a video, please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Update on the Appalachian Clubhouse at Elkmont

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011
The latest issue of the Cub Report from the Great Smoky Mountains Association is reporting that the Park's historical carpentry crew has completed rehabilitation of the Appalachian Clubhouse at Elkmont.

The current plan is to allow visits to the exterior of the building and make the interior available for use by groups with a reservation and a rental fee.

According to Wikipedia, an affluent group of Knoxville hunting and fishing enthusiasts formed the Appalachian Club in 1910, and purchased what is now "Daisy Town," south of the confluence of Little River and Jakes Creek. They built the Appalachian Clubhouse for use as a lodge. The original structure burned down in 1932, and was replaced by the current structure in 1934.

For more information on the Elkmont Historic District rehabilitation project, please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

New Trail Maps for the Great Smoky Mountains

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
National Geographic now has two separate Trails Illustrated Maps for the Great Smoky Mountains - in addition to the old map. National Geographic has divided the Park in two, thus allowing each map to show much greater detail. The original map, which covered the entire Park, had a scale 1:70,000. The two new maps now have a scale of 1:40,000 (1” = .6 miles) and provide much greater detail such as backcountry campsites, footbridges, fords and stream crossings, nature/interpretive trails, as well as detailed trail mileages.

The map for the western section of the Park includes the Cades Cove and Elkmont areas.

The map for the eastern section includes Clingmans Dome, Mt. LeConte and the Cataloochee areas.

Coverage Highlights Areas and places featured in this map series include: the Appalachian Trail, Benton Mackaye Trail, and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The maps also include scenic overlooks and roadside pull-outs.

Of course the original map, which covers the entire Park, is still available.


Nat Geo Maps now available on a GPS!

National Geographic Maps and Satmap Systems have teamed up for the new Active 10 TREK GPS system. The system integrates the best-selling National Geographic outdoor recreation maps with the award-winning Satmap Active 10 handheld GPS unit.

The content offered on the GPS device includes the complete line of National Geographic outdoor recreation maps, including the TOPO! USGS topographic map series, the AdventureMap series of international adventure travel maps, and, for the first time on any GPS, National Geographic’s premier Trails Illustrated series of maps for national parks, national forests and many popular recreation areas. National Geographic maps will be available via SD-Cards, which will plug-and-play into the Active 10 TREK handheld GPS.

The Active 10 TREK comes pre-loaded with World and USA Base Maps. Customers can purchase a variety of Nat Geo SD Map Cards that slot into the GPS, making map reading fast and easy. The map is displayed on a large 3.5” screen in full color suitable for day and night use, including a red backlight option to help protect night vision.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is included on each of the Southern Appalachians, National Parks and the North and South Carolina SD Map Cards.



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Little River/Jakes Creek access road reopening delayed

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
An update on the Great Smoky Mountains website is reporting that the Little River/Jakes Creek Trail access road in the Elkmont area will be closed to public use until October 23rd now.

The repaved road, with new parking areas near the Little River and Jakes Creek trailheads, was scheduled to reopen on October 15th.

For now, parking for trail users is available on an extremely limited basis at the walk-in camping area in B loop. There's a marked route through the campground to both trailheads.

Click for more information on hiking the popular Little River Trail and the Cucumber Gap Trail (from the Jakes Creek Trailhead).


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Little River/Jakes Creek access road reopening delayed

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
An update on the Great Smoky Mountains website is reporting that the Little River/Jakes Creek Trail access road in the Elkmont area will be closed to public use until October 23rd now.

The repaved road, with new parking areas near the Little River and Jakes Creek trailheads, was scheduled to reopen on October 15th.

For now, parking for trail users is available on an extremely limited basis at the walk-in camping area in B loop. There's a marked route through the campground to both trailheads.

Click for more information on hiking the popular Little River Trail and the Cucumber Gap Trail (from the Jakes Creek Trailhead).


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com