MEMBER EVENTS

Photo Courtesy of Joye Ardyn Durham

Explore the Smokies through classes, workshops and other events exclusive to
Smokies Life Park Keepers.

Wild blue phlox (pictured), fire pink, purple wakerobin and yellow trillium are among the many colorful flowers in bloom throughout Great Smoky Mountains National Park in mid-to-late April. Eco-Adventurers can expect to see these and many more wildflowers along the trail on the April 21-23 excursions. Photo provided by Ralph Daily.

Smokies Wildflower Wander

Travel Back in Time at Newfound Gap in the Smokies

Many bird species depend upon caterpillars for their diets. When landscapes do not include keystone species such as oak trees that support caterpillars, chickadees and other species are not able to breed and their populations decline, which causes a domino effect of other biodiversity impediments. Provided by Blake Ross.

Birds of Cades Cove

Painted trillium of Brushy Mountain

Naturalist Ramble: Trillium Gap and Brushy Mountain

Andrews Bald

Naturalist Ramble: High Elevation Birds and Blooms

Baxter Creek Trail winds through spruce-fir forest characteristic of the highest elevations in the Smokies. Photo provided by GPA Photo Archive, Miguel V.

Forest Therapy

Andrews Bald

Naturalist Ramble: Flame Azaleas at Andrews Bald

A monarch butterfly rests on goldenrod. Photo by Sue Wasserman.

Discover the Butterflies and Birds of the Smokies

The black-bellied salamander (pictured) is one of many species who is negatively affected by rock stacking. Photo by Emma Oxford.

Sensational Salamanders

Tallamy and his lab at the University of Delaware ranked the plant genera in every county in the country in terms of their ability to support caterpillars. They discovered what they call the keystone species phenomenon: 14 percent of our native plants, like this white oak, are supporting 90 percent of the caterpillars. Provided by Katja Schulz.

Plant Diversity

The adhesive tags used to track monarch butterflies are roughly the size of an eraser tip and made of mylar, making them extremely lightweight. While GSMIT’s tagging program in Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires the authorization of a special research permit, anyone can acquire a tagging kit and get involved outside of the national park by visiting MonarchWatch.org. Photo by David Bryant, provided by GSMIT.

Monarch Tagging

The adhesive tags used to track monarch butterflies are roughly the size of an eraser tip and made of mylar, making them extremely lightweight. While GSMIT’s tagging program in Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires the authorization of a special research permit, anyone can acquire a tagging kit and get involved outside of the national park by visiting MonarchWatch.org. Photo by David Bryant, provided by GSMIT.

Monarch Tagging

Naturalist Ramble: Rich Mountain

Walker Sisters Cabin. Photo by Donald Miller.

Naturalist Ramble: Walker Sisters Cabin and Little Greenbrier School

Please be sure to fill out the event policy agreement form prior to participation.

Great Smokies

Welcome Center

Hours of Operation

(subject to change)

Open year round (closed December 25)


January - February

Open Daily 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

March - November

Open Daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
December

Open Daily 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

The Great Smokies Welcome Center is located on U.S. 321 in Townsend, TN, 2 miles from the west entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visitors can get information about things to see and do in and around the national park and shop from a wide selection of books, gifts, and other Smokies merchandise. Daily, weekly, and annual parking tags for the national park are also available.

Physical Address

7929 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway Townsend TN 37882

Contact

865.436.7318 Ext 320