Although Gregory Bald is an excellent destination anytime of the year, mid to late June is the absolute best time to make the trek to its summit. In addition to its excellent views into Cades Cove, Gregory Bald provides for one of the best flame azalea shows in the entire world during this time frame.
In fact, azalea lovers from all over the world come here to visit perhaps the finest display of flame azaleas anywhere on the planet. According to the Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, the various hybrids of azaleas atop Gregory Bald are so impressive and unique that the British Museum of Natural History has collected samples of them.
This isn't an easy hike, however, the Gregory Ridge Trail climbs over 3000 feet, and the roundtrip length is 11.3 miles. But it's well worth it! As mentioned on this blog in the past, I would definitely rank this as the number one hike on my list of the Top 10 Hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Here's a sampling of some of the sights you'll see at the top:
For more information on this outstanding hike, please click here.
If planning to make the pilgrimage to Gregory Bald this year, you may want to consider making Townsend your base of operations. If you've never had the pleasure of staying in the Townsend area, also known as the “Quiet Side of the Smokies”, you may want to note that it's much easier getting in and out of the park, and is fairly close to Cades Cove. If you need a rental cabin during your visit, be sure to visit our Townsend Accommodations page.
The Rocky Mountain Region of the USDA Forest Service has released a new online tool as a place to find recreation updates and closures for any of the 24 national forests and grasslands across Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.
This online tool provides a one-stop resource for learning about current USDA Forest Service recreation site status updates, alerts, warnings and fire restriction information within the states of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.
The Rocky Mountain Region continues to ask all forest and grassland visitors engaging in dispersed recreation, such as hiking, mountain biking or river rafting, to take extra precautions and adhere to the following safety and responsibility guidelines.
* Stay close to home to keep other communities safe.
* Stay 6 feet apart from others.
* Avoid crowding in parking lots, trails, scenic overlooks and other areas.
* Take CDC precautions to prevent illnesses like COVID-19.
* Prepare for limited or no services, such as restroom facilities and garbage collection.
* Prepare to pack out trash and human waste.
The wind blew hard and cold on Saturday in the upper Rio Grande Valley and it was not the kind of day that Chere Waters would normally pick to hike up a blustery hillside.
“I don’t know what it was, but something was drawing me to go up there,” Waters said.
Whatever the mysterious calling, her intuition led her to an old mine shaft which, in turn, led to an unusual rescue of a 250-pound cow elk by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers and local emergency responders on April 18. A Creede resident for 34 years, Waters decided to go to a trail off the Bachelor Loop Road just outside of town. She told her hiking partner they would go to an area she’d been to years ago where she remembered seeing a mine shaft. Waters said she surprised herself when she walked the mile from her vehicle right up to the opening. She saw the hole from about 10 yards away and tossed a rock in, hoping to get a sense of the depth of the shaft.
“It’s the scariest thing, it’s at the edge of some trees so it’s hard to see,” she said.
But even though she sensed some danger, she decided to look in. So she “belly crawled” on the ground and had her friend hold onto her ankles so she could peer over the edge.
“So I looked in and see this animal in there. I was so surprised, I couldn’t believe it,” Waters said.
She didn’t bring her phone but luckily her friend did. They contacted the sheriff’s department at about 2 p.m., and a little over an hour later Wildlife Officers Brent Woodward and Jeremy Gallegos arrived, along with Mineral County Sheriff’s officers.
“When I got the call I was told that a deer was stuck in a hole,” Woodward said. “But they thought the shaft was only about 10 feet deep. When I got there I could see it was an elk and it was probably 30 feet down.”
He could also see the animal’s tracks at the edge of the hole. Woodward darted the elk from above with a tranquilizer to knock it out temporarily. The shaft was not too far from an old four-wheel drive trail so they were able to get vehicles close. Using a winch from one of the trucks, Terry Wetherill, Mineral Count emergency and search and rescue manger, was lowered into the hole. He estimated the size at about 10 feet by 3 feet so he had enough room to place some straps around the animal. He said that over the years he’s pulled deer and elk out of barbed-wire fences, “but I’ve never had to pull one out of a hole.”
In 1889, miners flocked to Creede at the start of a silver boom. Wetherill said there are dozens of old mine shafts in the area but most of them have collapsed and filled in over the years. He’s been told about many but not about the one where the elk fell. The walls of the shaft are still secured with timbers; Wetherill said the opening has probably been there for more than 100 years.
“It’s dangerous, it’s in the shadows and until you’re 20 feet away you don’t see it,” he said.
Wetherill is talking to officials at the Rio Grande National Forest office and Mineral County to determine ownership of the shaft so that it can be covered.
The elk was pulled up slowly and Woodward described its condition as “pretty beat up.” He thought it could have been there for two or three days.
Back on the surface, the officers allowed the elk to lie on the ground for about 15 minutes while they examined its condition. Then Gallegos administered a drug that reverses the tranquilizer effects. It took a few minutes for it to stand up on shaky legs. Here's a video of that moment:
Charles Kuralt (you remember Charles Kuralt, right?), once said that the Beartooth Highway is “the most beautiful drive in America”. It's hard to argue with him - the 69-mile National Scenic Byway is absolutely spectacular! The road travels from Red Lodge, Montana to Cooke City, located just outside of the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Along the way it passes through the rugged Absaroka Mountains, and climbs nearly 5400 feet to reach Beartooth Pass, which sits at an elevation of 10,947 feet.
Below is short film the U.S. Forest Service produced a few decades ago. Though it's a little dated, it still provides a nice overview of what you'll see along the byway, a short history of the routing of the road, as well as plenty of great scenery:
Celebrate National Park Week from April 18 through 26 with fun and innovative digital experiences. While parked at home, journey to national parks through a variety of online activities including virtual tours, scavenger hunts, trivia contests and junior ranger programs.
“Although much has changed in recent weeks, an assortment of fun and engaging digital National Park Week events can help people connect to our shared heritage and natural landscapes,” said David Vela, National Park Service Deputy Director, exercising the authority of the Director.
To preview the celebration of National Park Week, the National Park Service and National Park Foundation will host a Twitter chat on April 16 at 1:00 PM EDT. Join the conversation and share favorite memories, tips and stories about national parks using the hashtags #FindYourPark and #NationalParkWeek. From April 16 through 26, a special limited-time park ranger emoji will appear with the use of these hashtags, in addition to #FindYourVirtualPark and #EncuentraTuParque on Twitter.
“Knowing that national parks can provide a source of comfort and strength, the National Park Foundation is focused on bringing the beauty and wonder of parks to people digitally during National Park Week,” said National Park Foundation President and CEO Will Shafroth.
The Find Your Virtual Park page on NPS.gov provides resources that feature the sights and sounds of parks, games, videos, webcams and kid-friendly activities. The National Park Foundation offers a series of virtual escapes as well as suggestions for home-based park experiences.
In addition, each day of National Park Week will highlight a specific theme:
