Smokies Live Blog

Featured Articles

A monarch butterfly perches on an aster plant blooming during the fall in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo by Wanda DeWaard.
Holly Kays

Monarchs, a migratory wonder, proposed for threatened species listing

Before National Geographic published its famous August 1976 cover story detailing the search for the monarch butterfly’s wintering grounds, nobody knew where these strikingly beautiful creatures vanished when the weather grew cold. A 2,000-mile migration was thought to be a “foolish idea,” said Wanda DeWaard, founder of the outdoor education company Earth Kin LLC, who has led a monarch tagging program in Great Smoky Mountains

Read More »
Holly Kays February 2, 2025
Hellbender
Holly Kays

Park embarks on cutting-edge hellbender study

With wrinkly skin that comes in various shades of brown, eastern hellbenders aren’t easy to spot. These giant salamanders, which average 20 inches in length, spend most of their lives nearly invisible under rocks on the bottom of cool, fast-flowing streams. In a two-year research project starting this summer, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will use a combination of cutting-edge technology and traditional survey techniques

Read More »
Holly Kays January 26, 2025

Recent Articles

More Posts

Categories
Archives
Get the latest from the Smokies

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive eNews from: Smokies Life, P.O. Box 130, Gatlinburg, TN, 37738, US, http://www.smokieslife.org. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact.

Visitor centers and stores

Instagram Facebook-f Youtube X-twitter

Smokies Life

is a proud partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and National Park Service

115 Park Headquarters Rd. Gatlinburg, TN 37738

865.436.7318    mailorder@smokieslife.org

Great Smokies

Welcome Center

Hours of Operation

(subject to change)

Open year round (closed December 25)


January - February

Open Daily 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

March - November

Open Daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
December

Open Daily 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

The Great Smokies Welcome Center is located on U.S. 321 in Townsend, TN, 2 miles from the west entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visitors can get information about things to see and do in and around the national park and shop from a wide selection of books, gifts, and other Smokies merchandise. Daily, weekly, and annual parking tags for the national park are also available.

Physical Address

7929 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway Townsend TN 37882

Contact

865.436.7318 Ext 320