Danielle speaks with author Jason Frye. His updated guidebook, Moon Great Smoky Mountains National Park is available starting April 21, 2020. Jason offers tips for avoiding crowds, how to see the synchronous fireflies and off the beaten path places to explore.

Note: This episode is coming out in spring of 2020 during COVID-19 please be safe and follow guidelines to stay at home in social distance. If you are going to a national park, check the website for specific closures and guidelines for that park. The content of this interview is to inspire future travel once it is safe to do so. Thank you and we hope you and your loved ones stay healthy.

Discussion includes the following:

0:02 About Jason Frye and Moon Travel Guides

3:23 Jason talks about how Great Smoky Mountains National Park has not changed much since its inception. Every visit brings back memories from his youth.

4:46 Danielle recalls Ken Burns’ interview on Everybody’s National Parks (episode 13) when he talks about how it is equally important with whom you see these places.

7:08 How to see the fireflies at the Great Smoky Mountains

13:12 Description of Moon Great Smoky Mountains National Park

16:02 Suggested weekend itineraries: Tips for Visiting Cades Cove, Abrams Falls

Tuckaleechee Caverns, Townsend, TN; Rocky Top

20:08 Suggested Off the Beaten Path Weeklong Itinerary - Fontana Lake, Bryson City, NC; Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Cosby, Roaring Fork, Asheville, NC

24:22 Solitude on a Weekend Backpack Advenure around Fontana Lake

27:17 Intro to Family Backpacking with Kids at Catalouchee

30:56 Visiting the Smokies in Fall, Spring and Summer

33:14 Tips to Avoid Cars and Crowds in Fall: Foothills Parkway, Cattalouchee, Blue Ridge Parkway

36:38 Additional Recommendations for Gateway Towns: Knoxville and Gatlinburg

41:27 A Brief Description of the Blue Ridge Parkway

45:59 Jason’s Favorite Moment

Resources:

Follow Jason Frye on Instagram @beardedwriter

Get the updated guidebook, Moon Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Listen to Everybody’s National Parks podcast series on Great Smoky Mountains National Park (episodes 6.1-6.7)

Thank you to Moon Travel Guides for sponsoring this episode. We love Moon Travel Guides. Whenever our family is deciding where we want to go next, we consult our copy of Moon USA National Parks. This is a great follow up to our podcast series on the Smokies that came out in June of 2018: Everybody’s National Parks episodes 6.1-6.7. If you're planning a trip, you'll want to listen to those episodes and get the new moon guidebook.

For complete show notes and archive, visit everybodysnationalparks.com.

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