Smoky Mountain Parking Passes Required

Smoky Mountain Parking Passes Required. On March 1, 2023 Great Smoky Mountains National Park launches the ‘Park it Forward’ program requiring visitors to buy and display a valid parking tag for any vehicle parking for more than 15 minutes within the park boundary. To make the transition as smooth as possible, the park will offer early sales of annual parking tags starting January 17, 2023. 

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Smoky Mountain Hellbenders

Smoky Mountain Hellbenders are the largest aquatic salamanders in the national park. You may recognize the Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) by one of its other colorful names; snot otter, water dog, Allegheny alligator or mud dog. The male and female Hellbenders average in length from ten to sixteen inches. It has a flat body and head with slimy skin which gives it the ability to easily slip under submerged stones searching for food. The Hellbender serves as both predator and prey in the ecosystem.

Hellbenders are found in fast-moving, clean mountain streams in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Like frogs, Hellbenders are excellent indicators of water quality in streams and rivers. Since they breathe through their skin, hellbenders are sensitive to poor water quality, and are considered “bioindicators.” These species can tell biologists about degrading environmental conditions when they first start changing. As Hellbender populations decline so do other species in the environment.

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Spur Tunnel Repairs Begin

Spur tunnel repairs begin. Northbound Spur traffic will be one lane beginning January 3 through April 7, 2023 while the spur tunnel has water leaks repaired and performs lighting improvements. Motorists are reminded to reduce speeds, refrain from honking when traveling through the construction zone, and allow extra time for all northbound travel on the Spur.  

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Smoky Mountain Turkey Tail Mushrooms

Smoky Mountain Turkey Tail mushrooms are always in season! Trametes versicolor (common name Turkey Tail mushroom) is a decomposing polypore mushroom found on logs, stumps and dying trees all across North America. You can find them year-round in an array of beautiful colors, concentrically lining the fan shaped or circular caps (zonate) and growing in rosette patterns or overlapping clusters on dead or dying hardwoods and sometimes conifers. The underlying pore surface has 3-8 tiny pores per mm that starts out white but gradually ages to buff or darker, with a white spore print. This mushroom is thin and flexible when young turning more rigid as it weathers and ages. The cap has zones of velvety or finely hairy rings, again weathering off sometimes with age. Not only are Turkey Tail Mushrooms beautifully photogenic, they are also being investigated medicinally worldwide. With their high levels of antioxidants and polysaccharides they are purported to help stabilize immunity levels and store energy to aid in the fight against colds, flu’s and the recovery process after cancer treatments. Turkey Tails simmered together with Chaga, cinnamon bark and pure maple syrup make a delicious tea. Make sure to check below the cap to correctly identify Trametes versicolor, for there are many Turkey Tail lookalikes with larger pore surfaces, toothed pores, even gills or just smooth.

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Smoky Mountain Long Cold Full Moon

Smoky Mountain Long Cold Full Moon is on the rise! The final full moon for 2022 will appear on Tuesday, December 7th at 11:08 p.m.. This lunar event is sometimes called the “Long Night’s Moon” or the “Full Cold Moon.” During this moon phase the moon will sit above the horizon much longer than it normally does.

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