Cataloochee Valley Tours

30/05/2024

We have a last minute cancellation for our Firefly Night Walk on Saturday, June 1st. Visit our website for more details:
https://cataloocheevalleytours.com/firefly-night-walks.html

22/05/2024

Hello my little fireflies: Here's your chance to go see our special fireflies: We've had 2 last minute cancellations today for May 24th and May 26th. Please visit our website and submit a reservation request form, don't wait, they will go fast.

21/05/2024

We are ready for our 2024 Firefly Tour Season to begin! Meet the best guides in the business! Our Blue Ghost & Synchronous Firefly Night Walks have been sold out since February, but you are welcome to check in with us to see if we've had any last minute cancellations.

29/04/2024

Thanks for your patience, our website is back up and running.

29/04/2024

Please forgive the inconvenience, our website is down and we are working on recovering it as soon as possible.

26/04/2024

You could also insert elk, bears, etc. in to this sentence, you get the idea! Let's practice responsible wildlife viewing!

Think of the paperwork. Remember to treat wildlife with proper caution and respect, plus no one likes an unflattering selfie. The safety of these animals, as well as your safety, depends on everyone using good judgment. In conclusion, choices. Make good ones.

Learn more tips to watch wildlife safely at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/watchingwildlife/7ways.htm

Image: Screenshot of National Park Service tweet with text, “Living your life to the fullest does not have to involve selfies with bison.”

25/04/2024

We love this "Rule of Thumb" advice for viewing the elk and other wildlife safely.

25/04/2024

Our 2024 Firefly Tour Season has already sold out, but here's your chance to enter the national park firefly lottery. Do you want to see the fireflies next year? Visit our website to sign up for the wait list for our 2025 Firefly Tours.

The park will host the annual synchronous firefly viewing opportunity at Elkmont from Monday, June 3 through Monday, June 10.

The public may apply for the limited viewing opportunity by entering a lottery for a vehicle reservation through www.recreation.gov. The lottery opens for reservation applications on Friday, April 26 at 10 a.m. EDT and closes Monday, April 29 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Learn more at www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/fireflies.htm

Photo courtesy of Radim Schreiber | FireflyExperience

12/03/2024

Prescribed burns planned for Cataloochee Valley this week

GATLINBURG, Tenn.—The National Park Service (NPS) and Appalachian Piedmont Coastal Fire Management Zone plan to burn approximately 96 acres across six fields in Cataloochee Valley at Great Smoky Mountains National Park this week. Weather permitting, burn operations may begin as early as Tuesday, March 12.

Over the last 20 years, park managers have conducted burns during the spring and fall in Cades Cove. However, the last time fire managers conducted a prescribed burn in Cataloochee was 2015, and this will be the first time all of the Cataloochee meadows will receive prescribed fire treatments. These prescribed burns will help maintain open fields at Cataloochee, safely reduce fuels, manage pollinator habitat and preserve the historic landscape.

Before conducting a prescribed burn, park staff closely monitor fire weather conditions including vegetation and soil moisture, wind speed and direction, temperature and relative humidity to ensure that conditions meet the burn plan objectives for the site.

Motorists along Cataloochee Entrance Road and Cataloochee Creek Road should reduce speed, turn on headlights and stay alert when smoke is visible. Be aware of park rangers, firefighters and equipment along the roadway. The roads may close temporarily during operations for firefighter and visitor safety.

The prescribed burns in Cataloochee Valley are funded in part through a generous donation from the park’s philanthropic partner Friends of the Smokies.

06/03/2024

Thank you Travel & Leisure for including us in this great article!

Here's everything you need to know about visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

18/02/2024

Today, we officially sold out for our 2024 Firefly Tour Season! We have already started our 2025 wait list! Visit our website to sign up now for next year. The sooner you get on the list, the better your chances of obtaining a reservation to witness the magic of the Blue Ghost and Synchronous fireflies.

15/01/2024

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed today due to current hazardous weather conditions. Most park roads are closed including Newfound Gap, Little River, Gatlinburg Bypass, Cherokee Orchard at park boundary, Laurel Creek, Cades Cove Loop, Upper Tremont, Foothills Parkway East & West, Wears C...

01/01/2024

Happy, Happy New Year!

As we reflect on our 2023 tour season with a few of our favorite photos, we are mindful that all the footprints we left with our guests captured memories that we hope will last for many New Years to come.

“There is no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection.” ~Ralph Smart

25/11/2023

Our 2023 tour season has come to a close. In this season of Thanksgiving, we are extremely grateful to each and every one of you who ventured out on one of our Eco-Tours and for all of our wonderful Facebook & Instagram followers.

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

25/10/2023

Nature is the best medicine for serenity. Peace, calmness, stillness … it’s good for the heart. ~Karen Madewell

24/10/2023

Nature always wears the color of the spirit. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

23/10/2023

Did Cataloochee Valley Tours just get featured in a Fox News travel article? What the Fox...News channel? Yesss...thank you Peri Ormont Blumberg!

Get in the autumn mood by taking a trip to these picture perfect fall towns from Maryland to Colorado that are full of festive fun for the whole family.

15/10/2023

"I can find God in nature, in animals, in birds and the environment." ~Pat Buckley

14/10/2023

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."
- John Steinbeck

13/10/2023

"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold." -Aristotle

12/10/2023

Here's your good morning wake up call...have a great day!

11/10/2023

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” – Dr. Seuss

The 29 degree frosty morning made the elk fun and fiesty...what a joy to witness.

06/10/2023

Extremely rare sighting in the valley yesterday morning: Two blonde bulls locking antlers in a showdown...what a sight! Lol - Oh wait...that's our owner and tour-guides extraordinaire Esther and Lynda having a bit of fun with a fantastic family from Pennsylvania!

03/10/2023

Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. ~William Wordsworth
Special thanks to our guide Lynda for this fantastic photo from our Sunrise Elk Eco-Tour this morning.

01/10/2023

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers! ~Anne of Green Gables

27/09/2023

In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous. ~Aristotle

25/09/2023

May the magic of autumn color bring you many blessings. ~Irish Proverb

21/09/2023

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. ~Rachel Carson