| National Parks Traveler

National Park Quiz 47: Spring

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on March 25, 2009 - 2:30am

Spring arrived at 11:44 UT last Friday, March 20, so let’s make spring the key word for this week’s quiz. Answers are at the end. If we catch you peeking, we’ll make you write on the whiteboard 101 times: “The celestial coordinate system that employs the vernal equinox as the origin of the ecliptic longitude is known as the ecliptic coordinate system.”

Spring Blooms Not Too Far Away in Shenandoah, Blue Ridge Parkway, And Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 15, 2009 - 11:48am

Sunflowers, violets, trillium and other wildflowers are just around the proverbial corner in the Appalachian Mountains. You can spot these and dozens of others in Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks, as well as along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Campgrounds Opening This Weekend In Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 13, 2009 - 5:17am

Spring must be here. Or nearby. First the bears are coming out of hibernation in Yellowstone, and now Great Smoky Mountains National Park is opening many of its campgrounds.

This Hike at Great Smoky Mountains National Park Took a Nasty Turn

Submitted by Jim Burnett on March 12, 2009 - 3:07am

Rhododendron and Mountain laurel provide beautiful blooms in the late spring and early summer in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Those thickets can also have a dark side, as two hikers recently learned the hard way.

Send Your Kid To Work in Great Smoky Mountains National Park This Summer

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 9, 2009 - 3:21am

Great setting, inspirational leadership, insights into a possible career, and $10.31 an hour. What more could a teenager want from a summer job? All they have to do is live in North Carolina and want to spend a chunk of the summer in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Tailgating With the Symphony? It's Possible at Great Smoky Mountains National Park In June

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on March 9, 2009 - 2:30am

When was the last time you tail-gated before a symphony concert? You'll be able to do just that this June at Great Smoky Mountains National Park when the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra helps the park celebrate its 75th birthday.

New Visitor Center Coming to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on February 24, 2009 - 2:05pm

There's a new visitor center coming to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, over at Oconaluftee.

Friends of the Smokies to Get First Year Proceeds of Dolly Parton’s New CD

Submitted by Bob Janiskee on February 16, 2009 - 3:30am

Dolly Parton, official ambassador of Great Smoky’s 75th anniversary celebration, is donating the first-year proceeds from the sale of her new "Sha-Kon-Hey!" CD to Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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By Bob Janiskee

With or Without a Stimulus Package, National Parks Can Be Economical Vacation Destinations

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on February 15, 2009 - 5:22am

With all the economic doom and gloom of late, it'll be a miracle if anyone goes away for a vacation this year. At the very least, folks will be looking for bargains, and that's where the National Park System comes into play.