Great Smoky Mountains

11 Stories

Iconic Spot in National Park May Revert to Tribal Name

Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains park could return to Cherokee 'Kuwahi'

(Newser) - The highest point in Great Smoky National Park is now on track to revert to its Cherokee name. The Native American tribe's eastern council last week backed a plan to request that Clingsman Dome be renamed Kuwahi, reports WBIR . The request will now be forwarded to federal officials, specifically...

Vandals Leave Dead Bear, 'Black Lives Don't Matter' Sign at National Park

Great Smoky Mountains rangers are offering a reward for information

(Newser) - A dead black bear and a sign reading "Black lives don't matter" were found on an entrance sign for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee on Saturday morning. Rangers are asking anyone with information to reach out, and a $5,000 reward is being offered, the...

Beyond an Empty Tent, Bear Scavenged Human Remains

Backcountry camper's cause of death hasn't been established

(Newser) - A backcountry camper was found dead in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Friday, with hikers coming upon a black bear scavenging on what appeared to be the man's remains. The Asheville Citizen-Times reports the hikers were on Hazel Creek Trail and passed an empty tent at campsite 82;...

Bear Burglar Swipes Allergy Medicine, 8 Pounds of Candy

Animal surprised friends staying in Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Friday

(Newser) - Friends visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park received a shock over the weekend when a black bear came knocking. Michelle Eberhart of Shelbyville, Ind., says she and a friend noticed a black bear trying to force its way through the back door of their rental cabin in Gatlinburg, Tenn., on...

Autopsy: Meth Killed Man Before Bear Ate Him

Tennessee man was identified through tattoos

(Newser) - A man found dead in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was killed by a methamphetamine overdose, not the bear that was found eating his body, authorities say. According to an autopsy released Monday, there were signs of "extensive postmortem animal predation" on the body of 30-year-old William Lee Hill,...

An Intense Search in the Smokies, a Heartbreaking Find

Body of hiker Mitzie Sue Clements discovered a week after she vanished

(Newser) - It's a sad ending to a weeklong search for an Ohio woman who vanished while hiking on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the body of 53-year-old Mitzie Sue Clements was found Tuesday afternoon, less than a mile south of...

Teen Walks Out of Wilderness 11 Days After Going Missing

Austin Bohanan was lost in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

(Newser) - The National Park Service says a teenager who went missing for 11 days is with his family after he emerged from Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains National Park and flagged a passing boat for help. A news release says 18-year-old Austin Bohanan was found Tuesday uninjured. Officials say Bohanan had...

3 More Bodies Found in Tenn. Wildfire Ruins, Toll at 7

It's unclear how many more people are missing

(Newser) - Three more bodies were found in the ruins of wildfires that torched hundreds of homes and businesses in the Great Smoky Mountains area of Tennessee, raising the death toll to seven, the AP reports. Search-and-rescue missions continued, and Sevier County mayor Larry Waters said they had found three people who...

Father Searches for Family Amid Horrific Tenn. Wildfire

'We are just hoping for a miracle'

(Newser) - More than 14,000 people have evacuated as a wildfire engulfs the Tennessee cities of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, with hundreds of them ending up in emergency shelters around the area. Michael Reed hopes his wife and their young daughters are among them. Reed tells WATE he spoke to his...

Bear Was Killed After Attack on Hiker—the Wrong Bear

He 'fit the profile,' says Smoky Mountains rep

(Newser) - Wildlife officials shot and killed a 400-pound bear thought to have attacked a hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park earlier this month. The only problem: The bear was innocent. DNA tests on the animal show the male black bear wasn't the overly aggressive one that bit a 49-year-old...

Tenn. Dad Saves Son From Bear
 Tenn. Dad Saves Son From Bear
Aug 13, 2008 7:21 AM CDT

Tenn. Dad Saves Son From Bear

Pop uses rocks to beat back bear in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

(Newser) - A desperate dad pried open the jaws of a black bear and pelted him with rocks as the animal attacked his 8-year-old son during a hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. "The bear was staring at me," said the boy, Evan Pala, who was...

11 Stories
Most Read on Newser