Smokies volunteers chase butterflies for science
Every fall, Great Smoky Mountains National Park plays host to what might best be described as a moving miracle.
¿Lees Español? Bilingual Storybook Trails have arrived in the Smokies for the summer
The Storybook Trail of the Smokies is back, and this year, the popular self-guided outdoor education series is bringing both English and Spanish reading opportunities to new trails in the park and beyond. Great Smoky Mountains Association recently partnered with the City of Gatlinburg, the Sevier County School System, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park […]
What happens when we relocate box turtles?
My neighbor has a special affinity for turtles. For years, whenever he saw a box turtle on the highway or crossing a secondary road, he would not just move it off the pavement, he would put it into his truck, take it home to his large, old farm property in East Tennessee, and there release […]
Terry Maddox leaves enduring legacy
The holiday spirit was tinged with sadness for many longtime park friends and supporters upon hearing that retired Great Smoky Mountains Association executive director Terry Maddox had passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 21, 2022. He was 73 years old. The forward-thinking and tenacious Maddox led Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA) for nearly […]
Trailside Talk: Weather extremes
A land of high mountains and low valleys, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a place of extremes…
Finding and embracing the magicalness within
Just say, “Yes.” As the 2022 Steve Kemp Writer in Residence, that’s been my philosophy whenever opportunities have been presented for a new experience in Great Smoky Mountains National Park…
New issue of “Smokies Life” celebrates trees and their stories
Have you ever tried to count the number of branches on a tree? One limb leads to many appendages from which grow several more, each with its own shape, size, and direction…
A wild awakening: An interview with David Brill part 1
Longtime readers of Smokies Life will recognize the name David Brill like that of an old friend. Starting with the first issue in 2007, Brill has published upwards of 20 stories in the magazine’s pages…
Ridgerunners: Stewards of the Appalachian Trail in the Smokies
There are many jobs that contribute to the preservation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park for future generations, like rangers who oversee backcountry campsites, park biologists who study the flora and fauna of this amazing region…
When the student becomes the teacher
The more you know, the more you care, the better you can do. It’s a naïve thought, but it’s what I choose to believe, especially in my capacity as Great Smoky Mountains Association’s 2022 Steve Kemp Writer in Residence. I shared this thought with an Illinois family I met on a late summer hike to […]
