Great Smoky Mountains National Park
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
SMOKIES GUIDE The Official Newspaper of the Smokies • Fall 2024
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A monarch butterfly feeds on the nectar of tall boneset, a plant that flowers in early fall. Monarchs must make many stopovers during fall migration to sustain themselves on their journeys. Photo by Beth Dhunjisha.
Words with a Ranger I didn’t grow up camping or hiking, but I did spend a lot of time on the beach in Maine. It wasn’t until I was in college that I discovered my love of outdoor recreation beyond building sandcastles and staring at the crashing waves—both of which I still love to do. Now, as the management and program analyst in the Smokies, I ultimately help others enjoy the great outdoors by coordinating our Visitor Experience Stewardship program and supporting the park’s long-term planning efforts. Many visitors don’t realize that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the country. I’m inspired to know I work in a place beloved by so many people, but such high visitation levels can also present a challenge: How do we offer Continued on page 12
Witness a Migration Marvel this Fall Park provides important habitat for wildlife on the move
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utumn is a time of transition in the Smokies. As hot summer afternoons give way to crisp fall days, all manner of winged species pass through the park on their way south for the winter. Perhaps the most well-known fall migrant is the monarch butterfly. Measuring four inches across and weighing less than half a gram, these remarkable insects journey as many as 2,800 miles each year from summer habitat in the United States and Canada back to their wintering grounds in central Mexico. In the Smokies, migrating monarchs typically pass through from mid-September until late October. They are most often seen in Cades Cove but can also be glimpsed in other areas that offer the open habitats they favor, such as Cataloochee or Oconaluftee. Placing trackable tags
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on monarchs is one way scientists are gathering more information about them, and the public is invited to help with tagging events held each fall by Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. Learn more at gsmit.org. Monarchs aren’t the Smokies’ only fall migrants. Through early October, head to high-elevation overlooks like Newfound Gap, Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome), Indian Gap, and Look Rock Tower to see broad-winged hawks on their way to Central and South America. Also heading south are various species of warblers, buntings, tanagers, and vireos. Scientists have only recently begun to learn about dragonfly migrations. These insects don’t travel in large groups, but some migrate hundreds of miles. Find out how you can help these and other species once your Smokies visit ends at nps.gov/subjects/connectedconservation/get-involved.htm. GreatSmoky MountainsNPS
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PARKING TAG REQUIRED! Parking in the Smokies for more than 15 minutes requires a valid parking tag (annual tag pictured). For more info, scan code with camera app
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