Nature & Wildlife

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<em>Smoky Mountain Magic</em>

Smoky Mountain Magic

SMOKY MOUNTAIN MAGIC--Horace Kephart's fictional adventure set in the Deep Creek watershed, Cherokee Indian Reservation, and Bryson City in the summer of 1925. Written in 1929 and never before published. The original manuscript was passed down for 3 generations recently surfaced during the park's 75th anniversary celebration. "What better topic than a journey into a forbidden realm, complete with witches, robber barons, noble savages and a winsome lady, all wrapped in a cloak of mystery and myth?" asks reviewer Gary Carden. Kephart is featured in Ken Burn's PBS series on our national parks. He is the author of "Our Southern Highlanders", "Cherokees of the Smokies", and "Camping and Woodcraft". Available in hardcover and softcover. Read More >

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Nature & Wildlife

For information on bears, elk, wild hogs, wildlflowers, fall leaf color, and much more, click on the links to the left.  Or scroll to the bottom of this page to download official park informational PDFs on a variety of topics.

Enjoy a winter hike to Rainbow Falls.

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mother black bear

The photo above is of a mother black bear napping high in a tree in Cades Cove by Deb Campbell.
Being the mother of 3 cubs is hard work. Bears are nocturnal so they sleep during the day (when the cubs will let them).

 

black bear

Photo of a black bear above by Charlie Choc

bobcat

Photo of the elusive bobcat above by Brian Shults

  • To download a PDF and learn about Black Bears, click here.
  • To download a PDF and learn about the Return of the Elk, click here.
  • To download a PDF and learn about Wild Hogs, click here.
  • To download a PDF and learn about Trees and Forests in the park, click here.
  • To download a PDF and learn about Threats to the Spruce-Fir Forest, click here.
  • To download a PDF and learn about Non-Native Species, click here.
  • To download a PDF and learn about Geology of the Smokies, click here.
  • To download a PDF and learn about What Makes GSMNP Unique, click here.
  • To download a PDF and see the Butterflies and Skippers of the GSMNP, A Checklist, click here.
  • To download a PDF and see the Vascular Plants of the GSMNP, A Checklist, click here.