Archived Outdoors

Take your pick of ranger programs

Spring ranger programs have begun in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, giving visitors a chance to explore the Smokies with help from the park rangers.

• Charismatic Mega-Fauna, a 30-minute program featuring the park’s biggest animals, will be offered at 11 a.m. on Fridays at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, located along U.S. 441 just north of Cherokee. 

• Coffee with a Ranger, an hour-long program giving visitors a chance to find out what’s happening in the park over a cup of coffee, will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturdays at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Topics will vary based on visitor interest. 

• Down on the Farm, a two-hour program exploring the lives of homesteaders in the Smokies, will be held at 2 p.m. on Sundays at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The program will include a walk to the adjacent Mountain Farm Museum to witness activities such as fence building, woodworking and gardening. 

• Return of the Elk, a 90-minute program telling the story of the elk’s return to the Smokies after a 200-year absence, will be held at 3 p.m. April 12, April 19 and May 3 at the Rough Fork Trailhead of Cataloochee Valley in Haywood County. The excursion will include a hike of less than 1 mile to the elk acclimation pen and is not handicapped-accessible. 

• Back Porch Old-Time Music Jam, two hours of traditional Appalachian music, will return at 2 p.m. April 16, May 7 and May 21 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Visitors with an acoustic instrument to play are welcome to join this old-time jam. 

All programs will run through May 7. 

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.