FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
Jeff Muir
Blount Partnership
(865) 983.2241
Jennifer Wiggins
AkinsCrisp Public Strategies
(865) 680.1457
Blount County’s Hiking Trails Pave Way for Fun
BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn.—With more than 800 miles of maintained hiking trails that are full of beautiful wildlife, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a hiker’s dream.
A vast selection of trails, rated from easy to strenuous, punctuates the park and can take the average hiker from one or two hours to up to a week to hike. According to Bob Miller, park spokesman, the park strives to offer hiking opportunities for everyone.
“We try to offer and develop a whole menu of options that allow people with all interests and abilities to enjoy hiking,” Miller said. “We even have an all-access nature trail that is less than a mile and is the easiest, most accessible trail in the park. It was built specifically to accommodate hikers of all ability levels, including those using wheelchairs, walkers or strollers.”
Hikers can hike to and from anywhere in the park using the park’s interconnecting trail system. This system includes 71 miles of the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, the main east-west trail through the park. The park also offers a series of “quiet walkways,” typically one-half to three-quarters of a mile in length with a gradual incline.
Rated mild to moderate in difficulty, several nature trails also are available for those with moderate interest levels and time commitments. Each nature trail features a box at its entrance that contains information on natural resources and cultural highlights found on that trail.
With such a wide-range of hiking choices, it may be easy to get caught up in the excitement of planning a hike and neglect some basic safety considerations. Park officials offer several tips for enjoying a safe hike.
“The first rule is to stay on the trail,” Miller said. “It is too easy for someone to get lost or hurt if they stray. Vegetation off the trails is thick—you typically can’t see past 15 feet off the trail. We conduct 60 to 70 searches a year—almost all resolve themselves within an hour or two.”
Miller added a hiker should at least keep the trail in sight if he or she decides to stray from it. Trail maps are also recommended for a successful hike.
“The trail system can be confusing,” Miller said. “The most common mistake is taking the wrong path at trail intersections. Also, let someone know where you’ll enter the woods, when you should come out of the woods and where you’ll be parking.”
Miller said another error hikers commonly make is underestimating the time it will take to complete the hike.
“Don’t let mileage be your guide,” he said. “You should expect the terrain to slow you down. While hiking boots are preferred, a good pair of sneakers is fine for most trails.”
With park elevations ranging from 800 to over 6,000 feet above sea level, climates can change quickly and sometimes unexpectedly. Temperatures on mountaintops are 10 to 20 degrees cooler than in lower elevations. Miller suggests carrying water and wearing extra layers of clothes.
“Be prepared for rain and changing climates,” Miller said. “We get between 55 and 85 inches a year, evenly distributed throughout the year. There’s no particular rainy season.”
Hiking can be enjoyed in the park year-round.
“Any time of the year is a good time to hike,” Miller said. “Mid-summer is hot, but higher elevations are cooler. Wear light-colored clothing and bring lots of water. We don’t recommend drinking the spring water without treating it.”
“Fall and winter can be the nicest times to hike,” he said. “Not many trails have sweeping views—most follow streambeds. Vistas are much better when leaves fall after November. Air quality is better from October to April or May, but you must prepare for more extreme weather during these months.”
Hikers occasionally encounter the natives of the area. Bears, deer and wild European boars are just some of the animals inhabiting the park. Hikers should take precautions if they come in contact with wildlife.
“Bears are abundant, but the threat from them is minimal,” Miller said. “If one comes near you, make noise, and don’t throw food.”
“We also have copperheads and timber rattlesnakes. Watch where you step and where you put your hands, especially in rocky areas and around roots and stumps.”
Smoky Mountain Trails:
Easy
· Cades Cove Nature, 2 miles round trip
· Laurel Falls, 2.5 miles round trip
· West Prong, 5.5 miles round trip
· Cooper Road, varied
Moderate
· Indian Creek, 1.5 miles round trip
· Grotto Falls, 2.4 miles round trip
· Alum Cave, 4.4 miles round trip
· Abrams Falls, 5 miles round trip
· Charlie’s Bunion, 8 miles round trip
Strenuous
· Chimney Tops, 4 miles round trip
· Ramsay Cascades, 8 miles round trip
· Gregory Ridge, 8 miles round trip
· Rich Mountain, 8 miles round trip
About Blount County, Tennessee
Blount County, Tennessee is located just south of Knoxville at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The communities that make up Blount County—Townsend, Maryville, Alcoa, Friendsville, Louisville and Rockford – provide visitors with an abundance of outdoor activities, attractions and regular celebrations of the region’s rich Appalachian heritage and culture. Blount County is also home to the nation’s most visited national park—the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
For more information about Blount County, please contact the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority at (800) 525.6834 or visit www.SmokyMountains.org. Follow the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority at www.Facebook.com/PeacefulSide and Twitter.com/PeacefulSmokies.
If you are in the area, please stop in to the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Townsend, located at 7906 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, or the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Maryville, located at 201 South Washington Street, for more information. (January 2013)
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