Gatlinburg installs
electric car chargers
The town of Gatlinburg has installed
electric car charging stations in two downtown parking garges.
The 240-volt Blink Wall Mount
charges are part of the EV Project, funded by rge U.S. Department
of Energy. The stations can fully recharge an electric car
battery in four to eight hours.
GATLINBURG
EVENTS
GATLINBURG - No matter the season, Gatlinburg,
Tennessee is a year round inspiration to many local people
and travelers, too. There is always something special going
on in Gatlinburg.
Gatlinburg Winter Events - November 9 To December
30 Gatlinburg Winter Magic
Trolley Ride of Lights
Season-by-season tips for seeing Great Smoky Mountains National
Park are found on MyStateTENNESSEE.com. Read our important
information on safety and regulations to protect you and the
park's natural and cultural features.
From you car you can see much of what the Smokies offer,
including wildflowers, flowering trees, colorful fall folage,
mountain vistas, and historic buildings. Newfound Gap Road
(U.S. 441), the main road across the mountains, is a famous
scenic drive.
Other park road offer glimpses of the park's natural and
cultural heritage and also link you to self-guiding trails
and short foot-paths to other park attractions for more intimate
insights into this great public treasure.
Walking a park trail can be the best way to sense how directly
you are related to the world of nature. Walking even short
distance can put you in a totally different world. The lack
of human-generated noise opens up the world of nature sounds.
simply being inside the magnificent forests can be a multi-sensoty
experience rich with sights, sounds, smells, and that special
skin warmth felt as light rays penetrate the deep shade cast
by a forest canopy. Dwarfed by the trees, your sense of scale
may even be altered.
The Appalachian Trail threads nearly the length of the national
park (some 70 miles) along the Smokies' crest and the Tennessee
- North Carolina border. You can take this national scenic
trail north to Maine's Mount Katahdin or south to Georgia's
Springer mountain. Volunteers cordinated by the nonprofit
Appalachian Trail conservancy maintain it. On the two-mile
stretch heading south from Newfound Gap, accessible near Newfound
Gap parking lot, you can see wildflowers in spring or colorful
foliage in fall. Then you can say: "I walked a aprt of
the 2,174 mile-long Appalachian Trail."
Bicycling is especially popular on the Cades Cove Loop Road.
Ask about special bicyclist and pedestrian-only hours on the
loop road in summer. At Cades Cove you cycle on the 11 -mile
road through open fields encircled by mountains. You can stop
at the historic buildings perserved there. Bicycles are allowed
on park roads, but many are winding steep, or narrow and shared
by many motorists new to mountain driving. Bicycles are prohibited
on nearly all park trails; ask at visitor centers about exceptions.
Horseback riding also offers a good pace for seeing the park.
Auto-access horse camps provide access to backcountry trails,
but space is limited. horses can be hired by the hour at several
park locations for guided trail rides. Horse camps and rentals
are not available for parts of the winter.
