Smoky Mountain Hiking

The family is planning a trip to the Smokies for spring break, which for my wife’s school is March 19-23. Mountain Laurel Chalets has tons of great chalets for rent in the areas surrounding Gatlinburg. When I called to make the reservation, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they are running a special through March.

If you stay 3 nights, you get a 4th night free. Awesome! If you are planning on traveling to the Smokies and want a place to stay that is convenient to Gatlinburg and the park, definitely check out Mountain Laurel Chalets. Here are some other specials that they are having.

• Owners Specials
  Many chalet owners are running special rates on their chalets , including 10% off, special rates for large groups, etc
• Winterfest Special
  December through March, stay 3 nights and get the 4th free (Holidays excluded)
• Pre-Season Special
  April and May, stay 2 nights and get the 3rd night half off (Holidays excluded)
• Year Round Special
  Stay 7 nights and the last night is free

So check out Mountain Laurel Chalets and find a great chalet for your next stay in Gatlinburg.

It has long been a tradition to jump from the rocky bluffs at the Townsend Wye into the rushing waters of the Little River below. The park has now banned that activity amid concerns of collisions between jumpers and tubers on the river below.

A story published at the Gosmokies.com site outlines the parks concerns about jumping.

Park service officials say the new regulation is in response to increased crowding at the popular swimming and sunbathing site, as well as jumpers attempting to land on, or close to, people floating 20 feet below in inner tubes.

“The Townsend Wye isn’t what it was 10 years ago,” park spokeswoman Nancy Gray said. “Volume has risen to where visitors can’t find a place to park, and we’ve noticed some unsafe practices with the increased usage.”

The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (GSMIT) has annouced their Family Adventure Weekend for February 9-11. The availability of this great weekend usually fills up quickly, so make your way to http://www.gsmit.org/adult/family_weekends.html and reserve your spot now.

Program lasts from Friday supper through Sunday lunch. Cost: $330 for family of four ages 6 and up ($70 for each additional person); includes all meals, lodging, materials, and instruction.  Visit GSMIT’s Web site www.gsmit.org for a full schedule.

The tenative schedule for the Family Adventure Weekend includes great hikes to Dorsey/West Prong, Spruce Flats Falls, Middle Prong and Thunderhead. They also have some night hikes planned.

The cost for the weekend is $330 for a family of four (ages 6 and up) and $70 for each additional person. The cost includes all meals, lodging, and activities.

If you want more than just a weekend, they also have a Smoky Mountains Family Camp during the summer. This year it is scheduled for July 2-7.

The Wonderland Hotel, which opened in 1912 near the Elkmont Campgrounds in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is slated for salvage and demolition. The hotel was originally part of 70+ structures that were built as part of a resort area that pre-dates the formation of the national park. The building has basically fallen into such a state of disrepair that tearing it down is the only viable option left.

A company in Virginia has been tapped to perform salvage operations, recovering historically significant items such as doors, windows, tubs, and other hardware.

Read more about the salvage and demolition at Go Smokies.

The family and I are planning a trip to the Smokies for Labor Day weekend with some good friends of ours. It looks like I will be hiking LeConte this go round. Although we haven’t finalized any plans, we are looking at ascending up Alum Cave Bluff trail and descending via Rainbow Falls or Trillium Gap.

With the summer travel season winding down, it looks like they are going to restart some repair jobs on U.S. 441, which runs through the park between Gatlinburg, TN and Cherokee, NC, traversing Newfound Gap along the way.

From Wednesday through September 30, the contractor can close a lane anytime from 8:00 a.m. on Mondays through 12:00 noon on Fridays.
No daytime closures will be allowed on weekends and repaving will be suspended entirely during October, when visitors flock to the park to view the fall foliage colors.

At least the closures won’t affect Labor Day traffic.