Ski Ober Gatlinburg

If you’ve flipped on the TV to the news channels in the last 3 days I know you’ve seen story after story about the massive snow storms plowing through the east coast of the United States. Cities are reporting double digit snowfall in just hours, in fact Washington D.C. has been shut down completely for the last two days. It’s just been insane.

But it’s not just the major cities on the east coast getting slammed… mountain destinations are being hit too. It sucks for people who live there but is awesome for vacationers looking to hit the slopes! Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials say Mt. LeConte got 14 inches new snow for a total depth of 27 inches. Ober Gatlinburg ski area is located pretty close to Mt. LeConte so you know they’re getting tons of snowfall too.

Ober Gatlinburg has eight skiing trails and three chairlifts. They also have a multi-tracked snow tubing slide that is great for kids and families.

Here are some pictures taken from Ober just a few days ago. If they don’t convince you to strap on those snowboard boots then I don’t know what will.

Friends of the Smokies

Friends of the Smokies, a Great Smoky Mountains National Park preservation and protection group, has pledged to give $1 million to park programs in 2010. That is amazing news for GRSM fans! This charity is not run by the National Parks Service, but each year the NPS publishes a list of needs for the Great Smoky Mountains Park and the Friends of the Smokies charity works to provide funding for those needs.

The group said in a news release that the projects it helps support include Parks as Classrooms, which provides hands-on learning opportunities for more than 18,000 area children.

You might not know Friends of the Smokies directly, but if you’ve visited the park I guarantee that you’ve seen benefits of their work. They have thousands of friends/donators – you’ll recognize some of them by the special license plates they have on their cars.

You cna find out more at FriendsOfTheSmokies.org

Winter in the Great Smoky Mountains

I was browsing Youtube for some of the latest Great Smoky Mountains videos when I came across this really cool video that shows what the Great Smokies are like in winter. It has been very cold this winter and we’ve seen dozens of freezing days and lots of snow. It has turned this National Park into a winter wonderland.

Check out this video for clips of the frozen rock formations, icicles and wintry waterfalls. It has a really cool shot of Spruce Flats Waterfall that I know you’ll love. All shot in High Def.

Have you made it to The Smokies yet this winter? Post a comment and let me know how your trip went.

Great Smoky Mountains Wilderness Week

The Great Smoky Mountains are home to an amazing array of wild animals and some of those most beautiful vistas in the United States. We share the Park with black bears, deer, elk and more. Wilderness Wildlife Week in the Great Smoky Mountains begins Saturday, January 9th 2010 – it’s an annual event that pays tribute to the National Park and to Mother Nature in general.

Locals and visitors come to the Park every time this year to celebrate this precious place. About 150 experts — rangers from the National Park Service, biologists, botanists, nature photographers, animal rehabilitators and Smoky Mountains residents — donate their time to present lectures, classes, photography shows, musical performances and demonstrations.

Wilderness Week is a free event and runs through January 16. Most of the activities can be found in Pigeon Forge, but there will be signs of celebration all throughout the park. It’s important to remember how scared the Smokies are and we shouldn’t take them for granted.

Snow Storm Slams Smokies

Over the last 4-5 days the Great Smoky Mountains have been blasted with snow: 10-30 inches in some areas. The ski resorts are loving it, but the casual travelers might not be as happy. Sure we all love seeing snow on the ground, but not if it gets in the way of your vacation.

The Great Smoky Mountains have had so much snow over the past few days that certain roads are restricted and trails are closed. Even Cades Cove, the most visited part of the Great Smokies was closed. There was a lot of ice out there making it very dangerous for people who are not accustomed to traveling in those conditions.

Check it this picture from Newfound Gap, it looks nothing like the photo I posted back in October.

So go and enjoy the Great Smoky Mountains this winter – it is truly a blessing to have this much snow so early, but please be careful when traveling and site seeing.

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