Day 2 of Wilderness Wildlife Week 2014 in Pigeon Forge Tennessee

Mother Nature may have made the Smokies even more magical with a little more snow, however for those wanting to take one of the guided hikes today the outlook is fairly grim as most roads in the Great Smoky Mountains national park are closed right now including Newfound Gap Road, Little River Road and Laurel Creek Road cutting off all access to Cades Cove.

So far the only guided hikes in and around the GSMNP that could take place would be the 6 mile hike in the Sugarlands to the Rock House, the 8 mile hike to Ramsey Cascades, the tour of the Railroad Museum in Townsend and maybe the Owl Prowl.

Luckily it toast warm inside with no chance of snow and ice so Wilderness Wildlife Week will go on as placed in the Le Conte Center in Pigeon Forge.

Some of yesterdays favorite Wilderness Wildlife Week programs included the talk by Dr Don Linzey on panthers in the Smokies, the working with wildflowers photography workshop, and the exciting story of Doc Henderson Versus the White Caps in the Smokies.

Today's must see Wilderness Wildlife Week demonstrations include a program on a landmark anyone who comes to the Smokies knows: A History of the Towers in Clingmans Dome by Marci Spencer.

Today there is also a great program on the Walker Sisters of Little Greenbrier presented by award winning local park volunteer Robin Goddard who grew up with the women, Nighttime and Low light Photography presented by renowned local photographer Eric Gebhart and don't miss the final special program of the day by presented by Ken Jenkins.

Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule
Day 2: Sunday, January 26th 2014

• 8:30 – 9:30am: Sunday Morning Sing-Along. Presented by Tony Thomas. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 9 – 10am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about the Smokies Through a Camera Lens! Travel Photography: Beyond the Postcard. Educational and entertaining program featuring a theme-based travel photography with diverse locations such as Tennessee, Scotland, Costa Rica, Switzerland and more. Presented by Tom and Pat Cory. Taking place at room North 2.
• 9:30 – 10:30am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Lewis and Clark in US History, Part 1. Presented by Peter Seifert. Taking place at room South 2.
• 9:30 – 10:30am: Marking Time: A Guide to the Historical Markers in East Tennessee. Presented by Fred Brown. Taking place at room South 3.
• 9:30 – 11:30am: World Class Stream Small Mouth Bass. Presented by Greg Ward. Taking place at room South 1.
• 10 – 11 am: Wildflowers of the Smokies Video Presentation. Presented by Jack Carman of Wildflowers of Tennessee. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 10:30 – 11:30am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Creating a Wildlife Habitat for Every Season Video Presentation. Presented by Regina Garr of Birds-I-View. Taking place at room North 3.
• 10:30 – 11:30am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about the Smokies Through a Camera Lens! Wildlife and Nature Photo Trips: What to Take? Presented by Harry Dunn. Taking place at room North 2.
• 10:30 – 11:30am: Weather Signs. Presented by Ila Hatter of Wildcrafting with Ila. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 11 – Noon: Smoky Mountain Llama Treks. Learn about llamas and their cousins and see pictures of llamas along hikes by Smoky Mountain Llama Treks. Presented by Steve Garrett. Taking place at room South 2.
• 11 – Noon: Discovering the Gray Fossil Site. Learn how the Gray Fossil Site was discovered and a see some of the fossils found from there in upper East Tennessee. Presented by Harry Moore. Taking place at room South 3.
• 11:30 – 12:30pm: Birds the Word. Presented by Doug Elliott. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 11:30 – 12:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! To Be Announced Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• Noon – 1 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! 2013 Scenic City International Photography Exhibition Video Presentation. Presented by Pat Gordy. Taking place at room North 3.
• Noon – 1 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about the Smokies Through a Camera Lens! Where and When to Photograph in the Smokies. Presented by Roger Trentham. Taking place at room North 2.
• Noon – 1 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Out of the Dark, Part 2. The history of how one amazingly heroic deputy sheriff rescued his community from committed by nightriders in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains. Presented by Tom Davis and the Graveyard Hosts: Don Williams. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 12:30 – 2 pm: Learn Clawhammer Banjo, Part 2. Limited to 10 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Participants must bring own five string banjo tuned in the key of G. Presented by Boogertown Gap. Taking place at room South 4B.
• 12:45 – 1:45 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Lewis and Clark in US History, Part 2. Presented by Peter Seifert. Taking place at room South 2.
• 1 – 2 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Smoky Mountain Old Time Gospel Singing. Presented by Tony Thomas. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 1 – 2 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! History of the Towers in Clingmans Dome. Presented by Marci Spencer of the Appalachian Bear Rescue. Taking place at room South 3.
• 1 – 3:30pm: Casting a Fly Rod: Bring own rod if possible. Presented by Greg Ward. Taking place at room South 1.
• 1:30 – 2 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Old Harp Singing School. Presented by David Sarten. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 1:30 – 2:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Natural Wonders of the Southern Appalachians Video Presentation. Presented by Harry Dunn. Taking place at room North 3.
• 1:30 – 2:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about the Smokies Through a Camera Lens! Range of Light: Capturing the Mood of the Smokies. Presented by Jerry Whaley. Taking place at room North 2.
• 1:30 – 2:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Southern Bears of Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida Video Presentation. Presented by Kate Marshall. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 2 – 3 pm: Our Smokies Heritage! Old Harp Singing. Presented by David Sarten. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 2:30 – 3:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! A Sunday Morning in the Smokies. Presented by Hills-N-Hollows. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 2:30 – 3:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Special Kids Track. Bodacious Cartooning for Kids. Limited to 100 so you must pre-register at Information Desk and please remember to bring paper and pencils! Presented by John Rose, Snuffy Smith Cartoonist. Taking place at room South 2.
• 2:30 – 3:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Bugs and Blooms. Learn about the diverse native flora and associated insects of the Southern Appalachians, as well as their functional importance. Presented by Leon Bates. Taking place at room South 3.
• 3 – 4 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! A House Divided: The Civil War in Knoxville and East Tennessee. Presented by Fred Brown. Taking place at room North 3.
• 3 – 4 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about the Smokies Through a Camera Lens! Improving Your Photographic Vision. Presented by Bill Fortney. Taking place at room North 2.
• 3 – 4 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! The Goodness of Gander. hear about the story of good people helping Americans on our nation’s worst day, September 11, 2001, and hear how the people of Gander, Newfoundland hosted 6,500 people for 4 days on 1 hour’s notice. Presented by Rosemary Deitzer. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 4 – 5 pm: Advanced Possumology: Possum Lore, Stories, Natural History and More. Presented by Doug Elliott. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 4 – 5 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Elkmont’s Lem Ownby: Sage of the Smokies. Presented by Carroll McMahan. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 4 – 5 pm: The Beauty and History of Switzerland Video Presentation. Presented by Shannon Harris of Alpine Adventure Trails and Tours. Taking place at room South 3.
• 4:30 – 5:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about the Smokies Through a Camera Lens! Digital Photo Editing. Presented by Richard Iceland. Taking place at room North 3.
• 4:30 – 5:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about the Smokies Through a Camera Lens! Seasons and Weather: Watching the Smokies Change. Presented by Jerry Whaley. Taking place at room North 2.
• 4:30 – 5:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! The Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep, Where Do All Our Bears Sleep? Presented by Joel and Kathy Zachry of Great Outdoors! Adventure Travel. Taking place at room South 2.
• 6 pm: Tuesday Hike Signups Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 6 – 7 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about the Smokies Through a Camera Lens! Nighttime and Low light Photography. Presented by Eric Gebhart. Taking place at room North 2.
• 6 – 7 pm: Our Smokies Heritage! The Walker Sisters of Little Greenbrier. Presented by Robin Goddard Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 7:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! To Be Announced. Presented by Ken Jenkins. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Guided Hikes

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 1

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 2

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 3

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 4

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 5

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 6

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 7

November leaf color report for Great Smoky Mountains: Greenbrier

The leaf colors are bright and in peak season in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park just outside of Gatlinburg Tennessee.

Greenbrier is known for being one of the quieter sections of the Great Smoky Mountains national park with outstanding hiking, great fishing and a picnic area and picnic pavilion.

We just checked 2 hiking trails to see how the fall colors are doing in this section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park and we were not disappointed and neither will you.

Both hiking trails begin at the Ramsey Cascades Trailhead which is well marked. When you enter Greenbrier you might think all the colorful fall leaves are gone but keep on driving, it gets better and better the closer you get to the trailhead.

From the trailhead you can to go to the Ramsey Cascades Falls - an 8 mile round trip or the Pinnacles Man Way a 7 mile round trip. Remember you don't have to hike all the way to enjoy the scenery!

Both trails first cross the river where you should take pictures from the bridge. By now you already have seen bright yellows and reds and a few orange leaves in the trees. Plenty of light and dark green so we have a while before this section will flame out.

The hiking trial was made on an old logging roadbed at this point and gently keeps climbing up along the river. On your left hand side there are gigantic boulders and sheer rock cliffs, even a semi cave at once point.

Stop and listen to the sounds of the river and when the wind blows the leaves falling from the trees. A perfect spot to do this is there is a log bench on the right hand side by the roaring river.

At the 1-1/2 mile mark there is a small sign on the left of the trail showing that the Ramsey Cascades trail is straight ahead. This unmarked trail is the Greenbriers Pinnacles trail.

The Pinnacles trail is a non maintained trail where you will have to climb over a few logs as you work your way up almost 2,000 feet in and works its way up to some fantastic overlooks and the top of the mountain where you will find the ruins of an old fire tower.

Since this is a rarely used trail more often than not you will see no one on the way up and down this hiking trail and there are great fall colors and the ability to look across at other mountains fall colors.

Here you will walk by rocks walls, cross a small stream, pass by some large old tress and through some rhododendron and mountain laurel lined sections of the trail. Picture below was taken on this trail.

Ramsey Cascades is also about a 2,000 foot climb with no scenic overlooks but you get to cross a roaring river on log bridges where you will also see a stunning rock wall by one of the log bridges with a beautiful pool along the riverside.

Another special feature of this trail beside the fantastic cascade waterfall at the top of the trail is the huge hemlock trees and poplar trees - some of the larger and older trees in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. Take a picture with a person next to the tree so you can get the scale of how large the trees are.

The fall colors on this trail come and go. In some areas of the trail we have gone pasty peak and others have yet to come out in full color. The shot below from the trail shows one of the peak fall color sections.

Even though these hiking trails are not exceptional long they are fairly strenuous.

You will also find that you will go through some real changes in temperature getting both hotter and cooler are you go up in elevation so dress in layers. Ramsey Cascades even the summer is much cooler than the trail is.

Come on out whole the fall colors are still great in the Greenbrier are right next to Gatlinburg Tennessee and just minute from more than 150 cabin rentals by American Mountain Rentals.

Information on the Greenbrier Section of the National Park

Fall color report for Gatlinburg Greenbrier section of the Smoky Mountains

The Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park is just outside the city limits of Gatlinburg on 321 and it is showing serious fall colors and will be at least another week before it reaches peak which should last a week or more.

Fall is a great time to visit the Greenbrier section of the national park in the Smokies as the leaf colors are quite brilliant at peak. Greenbrier has some very good hiking trails for fall colors with plenty of stream, creeks and rivers to reflect the colorful leaves in the pools and Ramsey Cascades a stunning cascade falls in the higher elevation. There are also plenty of small waterfalls along the way.

One of the more interesting hikes very close to Gatlinburg is the Old Settlers Trail in Greenbrier that ends up more than 15 miles away in Cosby. Of course you don't have to hike the full 15 miles (or 30 miles round trip) to see fantastic fall colors and beautiful scenery and pass by dozens of old homesteads and farms.

The bright colored leaves above were on the forest floor yesterday on the Old Settlers Trail and this trail is far from peak!

This hiking trail starts as others in Greenbrier do at the base lower elevation by the Little Pigeon River. Large boulders in the Little Pigeon River break up normally swift flowing water and the river is lined by large trees still mostly green but showing plenty of yellows, golden browns and light greens with splashes of red.

The Old Settlers Hiking trail goes up and down in elevation but is never really steep. When you start out the forest floor is mostly green but the light greens and yellows in the trees and bushes and on the forest floor seems to lighten up the whole area with a mystical glow.

Deeper in on the Old Settler Hiking trail as you gain in elevation the leaf colors start to burst forth. The fall colors in the leaves make a perfect contrast to the bright and dark green moss growing on the trunk of the trees and along the sides of the hiking trail.

Some of the trees have dropped all of their leaves in the rain we have had in the past few days opening up the autumn canopy so you may better see the sky. The canopy closes back up to mostly greens and by the time you are down in elevation and hiking along Snakefeeder Branch there are mostly yellows and light greens.

Along the lowest elevation of the Old Settlers Trail most of the wildflowers are gone now that it is autumn and the grasses have turned golden yellow to brown. There were a few blue gentian, some purple asters and little white flowers still blooming.

Climbing up the hills now toward campground 33 you pass by another old homestead one of more than a dozen you have already passed. Here it is still mostly green from the trees, rhododendron as moss. Look carefully down one of the deserted branches of this trail and you will see the broken down building which was either a corn crib or hog pen.

As you as you pass the stone walls all covered in green moss and lichen the forest start to change colors again with more yellows and light green - the starts of more brilliant fall colors to burst forth in the next weeks.

At campground 33 you are slightly more than 6-15 miles in and the falls colors are barley starting here. The Old Settlers Trail in Greenbrier will be a great hiking trail near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for weeks to come!

Don't forget if you want to want to rent the best cabins in the Smokies during peak fall color to rent it early from American Mountain Rentals!