Honeymoon in the Smokies

[hld]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new on this forum, and I've introduced myself in the appropriate thread! Nice to meet you all In short, I'm a grad student that has recently gotten interested in herping as a pastime. I'm currently TAing a herpetology lab at a college in coastal SC.

I'm getting married in May and my soon to be husband and I are going for a honeymoon in the smokies. I've spent a little time (a few short day-trips en route to other places) in the area looking for sals and have come up with a few Desmognathus complex sals and some Eurycea wilderae. This was just this past fall and it was relatively dry under most of the logs we flipped, so we focused on a small stream. We are hoping to see a bit more of the diversity in the park on our Honeymoon in June.

Does anyone else have any other tips or advice for us?

We are currently looking at cabins and thinking of staying near Cherokee, NC just to get out of the hubbub of the Gatlinburg area. Seems like it might be more our speed.

I've got a few of the resources mentioned in other threads on my wishlist. I'm currently using a Peterson's field guide and Salamanders of the Southeast.

We are really looking forward to spending some quiet days together relaxing and basking in the glory of nature!

Thanks in advance

Hannah

 

[Kaysie]

You can't go to the Smokies without finding salamanders. Try seeps, ravines, creeks, woods. Everywhere. Different habitats will have different sals. Get yourself a good topo map (I like big fold-out ones, rather than multiple sheets), and mark some areas that look like promising sal habitat. Then just hike around. Flip logs and rocks and moss (what you can without damaging anything).

You should look into staying in Townsend. Lots of cabins, cute little town, grocery store, gas station, etc. It's also RIGHT by a main north entrance (good area to look for hellbenders in the Little River, too). Right now, the main road through the park has been washed out by a landslide somewhere between Cherokee and Clingman's dome, I think. So if you stay in Cherokee, you'll have to drive all the way around the park to get to the north side.

The more field guides, the better. We must've used 3 or 4 when we went. Take pictures of animals from all aspects, especially belly shots. It's sometimes crucial to determine one species from another. Don't bother carrying the guide (unless you find a nice light one just for Tennessee), just ID stuff when you get back to the cabin at night. The Conant&Collins guide is like carrying a brick in your pack. lol

 

[Neotenic_Jaymes]

You'll be fine, just stay away from Gatlinburg especially the main strip! Although they do have a pretty big Aquarium, it may be nice to check out.

 

[Sawyer]

You'll be fine, just stay away from Gatlinburg especially the main strip! Although they do have a pretty big Aquarium, it may be nice to check out.

I fell in love with Gatlinburg and would move there in a heartbeat if it wasn't for the wife. Beautiful place.

 

[hld]

Thanks for the advice, especially about the road being washed out! That wouldn't have been convenient!

 

[Vern5384]

Be careful mandering in the park itself. It's technically illegal and you could get ticketed if you get caught. Be discrete, or otherwise stick to the National Forest land in the area. Just a warning. Have fun, though.