Editor’s note: This piece is the first of a two-part series exploring plans to rebuild I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge and the project’s implication for wildlife populations in the region. When I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge first opened in October 1968, it was hailed as a triumph of human accomplishment, the dawn of a new era for travel, tourism, and economic opportunity in
On a crisp October morning in 2024, our team of Discover Life in America staff, volunteers, and local fungi experts—called mycologists—set out to go “mushroom hunting” at Twin Creeks in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The adventure was part of a MycoBlitz community science survey, with participants working to spot as many fungi species as possible. We had no idea that we would be stumbling
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.
