Mike Meldrum could claim his current occupation as a third career—if he weren’t so careful to avoid calling it a job. “I want to have fun and feel like I’m doing something worthwhile with my time,” said Meldrum, a former park ranger whose handiwork has raised $37,000 in support of Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the last two years alone. The coasters, arrowhead keepsakes,
On October 22, 2023, I gathered with about a dozen hikers at Baskin Creek Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our group planned to hike a little over 10 miles to the end of Grapeyard Ridge Trail in the Greenbrier area. Among our crew were Elizabeth Claire “E. C.” Stewart, then 10 years old, and her brother Landon, then 8, along with their mom,
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.
