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Writer in Residence Finally Arrives in America’s Most-Visited Park
Sue Wasserman of Bakersville, North Carolina, is the 2022 Steve Kemp Writer-in-Residence, which means she will be living near and working in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for six weeks. She’ll be writing, creating photography, and offering public programs both on the Tennessee and North Carolina sides of the park.
Wasserman was
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Green With Envy
Story and photos by Sue Wasserman
Jack in the pulpit
I don’t remember how old I was when I became enamored of the word “hue.” Thanks to a mom who took my sister and me to the library every week, whether we’d finished our books or not, it’s hard to remember a time when words didn’t hold a
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Wildflowers 101: Rosebud Orchid and the Pink Lady’s Slipper
Story and images by Tom Harrington Rosebud orchid One characteristic many people possess is being competitive and enjoying challenges. For some, this might be during a game of golf or playing chess or checkers. Or it may be that the challenge you enjoy most is working on crossword puzzles. But did you know there is a most Read more... -
“Fishes” field guide dedicated to aquatic biodiversity of the Smokies
Great Smoky Mountains Association has published a new field guide dedicated to some of the aquatic residents of the Smokies. Intuitively organized and small enough to fit in a pocket, Fishes of the Smokies includes detailed photography and key details for each species featured.
Written by debut author Grant Fisher, Fishes of the
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Plant life makes a comeback after 2016 wildfires
By Alix Pfennigwerth
A few days after the arson-caused 2016 Chimney Tops 2 wildfire spread across 11,000 acres of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rob Klein, a National Park Service fire ecologist, hiked up the park’s Bull Head Trail.
National Park Service fire ecologist Rob Klein discusses the impacts of the 2016
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Photographer and parks shine a light on the magic of fireflies
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to large populations of synchronous fireflies, which create a magical spectacle that draws thousands of visitors each year. The park will host the annual synchronous firefly viewing opportunity at its popular Elkmont Campground June 3–10 this year, but there are many other places where this
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Image for the Asking: Views Through History at Campbell Overlook
Story and image by Don McGowan
As you stand high above the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River running through Sugarlands Valley and look across the thickly forested slope beyond it, you’ll see the rocky prominence known as Bullhead. A careful visual examination along the lithic line tracing the ridge reveals the likely presence of a
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GIS makes it simpler to map a complex park
Twenty years ago, the map room in Great Smoky Mountains National Park might have been dedicated to heavy, flat-file drawer cabinets—each one filled with stacks of intricately detailed maps of the mountains. These days, the room is much more spartan.
Gone are many of the paper maps and heavy cabinets. In their place is a relatively modest
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Great Smoky Mountains Association Honored with Two National Awards
Great Smoky Mountains Association won national recognition in two categories in the 2022 Public Lands Alliance Partnership Awards, celebrated with a virtual ceremony held Wednesday, April 20.
At this year’s event, the Storybook Trail of the Smokies was recognized for Outstanding Public Engagement for Program/Service, and the GSMA-
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Meandering Into Knowingness
Photos by Sue Wasserman
White-fringed phacelia
The road to knowingness is paved with a whole lot of meandering.
As much as I love exploring new trails in the Smokies, I long to find trails with which I can become intimately acquainted, too. Porters Creek is becoming one such trail for me. I happened upon it several years
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