Smoky Mountain Field School

09/08/2026

Register now: tiny.utk.edu/I1pT2

09/03/2026

WHAT ARE BEARS UP TO IN SEPTEMBER?

Bears enter hyperphagia in September and may look for food up to 20 hours a day. Berries, nuts and acorns are important fall bear foods. Bears can gain two to three pounds a day. Even bears that don’t hibernate eat as if they’re going to. Moms-to-be look for a good birthing den and nursery.

• Eating goes into hyperdrive
• It's peak time for an important bear food
• Bears are "nesting"
• About-to-be moms binge eat
• Cubs become curious

Learn more about what bears are doing in September: https://bearwise.org/what-bears-do-in-september/

Thanks for being BearWise and helping keep bears wild.

09/01/2026

08/28/2026

Register today: tiny.utk.edu/I1pT2

08/25/2026

The Smokies is putting its party hat on today because the National Park Service is turning 110! 🎉

Though Great Smoky Mountains didn’t become a national park until 1934, people have been working to protect these mountains for well over a century. To honor this legacy, no parking tag is required today as we celebrate more than a century of conservation, resilience, and connection.

🎂 So tell us… does the Smokies get a 10/10 for its birthday?

Happy 110th, NPS!



Original Photo by Jim Bennett

08/20/2026

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is bear country 🐻

If you're visiting the Smokies, help us protect the animals who live here, in both the national park and the surrounding areas, by being BearWise.

• Have an open or soft-topped vehicle? Never leave food or scented items unattended inside of it (Rubber ducks are fine!)

• Planning to hike? Never leave your backpack or belongings unattended. Pack all trash out with you and dispose of it in a bear-proof dumpster.

• If you see a bear by the road, use pull-offs to view it, do not stop in the roadway. Never approach a bear within 50 yards or any distance that may disturb it.

To learn more about black bear safety, visit our website: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/black-bears.htm

Photo by Paul Driessche

08/12/2026

08/11/2026

What are bears doing in August?

Bears have many ways to stay cool during hot summer days. By August, most cubs are weaned. Bears feast on ripening berries and may travel great distances to dependable food sources. Bears decipher complex messages left in the scents of other bears.

Learn more about...
• what happens after cubs are weaned
• which food is important for bears in August
• how bears are influenced by social signals
• how a bad food year impacts a bear's travel

Find the answers here ➡ https://bearwise.org/what-bears-do-in-august/

Thanks for doing your part to be BearWise and keep bears wild!

08/04/2026

July 07, 2026 - Join us this August for a summertime spectacle, when professional balloonist light up the evening sky with a beautiful balloon glow and spectacular tethered rides. The sky will be filled with a spectrum of color like never before, against a backdrop of a breathtaking Tennessee Smoky....