Smokies Life is one of the National Park Service’s oldest and most enduring partners — promoting better understanding and appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park through engaging publications, educational products, interpretive activities, membership events, and more.
Since the organization’s inception in 1953, Smokies Life (formerly Great Smoky Mountains Association) has given more than $50 million in direct aid to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, funding important projects that keep the Smokies safe and enjoyable for all — and it’s all thanks to people like you, who care about the future of national parks.
At the heart of Smokies Life are its members: Park Keepers number more than 29,000 individuals from all over the world committed to celebrating and conserving all that the Great Smoky Mountains have to offer. Starting at just $40 annually, your Park Keeper membership makes you a steward of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and each membership includes a subscription to Smokies Life Journal, discounts on all purchases at Smokies Life stores in the park and online, and exclusive invitations to members-only hikes and events. Park Keepers also receive discounts at park stores throughout the United States due to reciprocal benefit agreements between Smokies Life and other Public Lands Alliance members.
Enhancing Park Experiences
One of the biggest contributions to enhancing visitors’ experiences in this most visited of America’s parks, Smokies Life operates 11 visitor centers and contact stations, and the park’s official online store, at smokieslife.org. Each purchase helps support scientific, historical, and interpretive activities in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Smokies Life is committed to providing a wide variety of high-quality, informative, and culturally significant products at each of its stores, from books, guides, and magazines to locally recorded documentaries and music CDs, souvenirs, and apparel to Appalachian-grown food products.
Since 1958, Smokies Life has also supported its own vibrant publications program, printing and distributing more than one million copies of 100-plus publications per year. During this process, Smokies Life works closely with the National Park Service to maintain a balance between books and other products with wide audience appeal and scientific and educational subject matter — as well as to ensure each published work meets the organization’s high standards for interpretive products.
In addition to publishing books, videography, and educational brochures, Smokies Life is also responsible for keeping visitors and Park Keepers informed — producing the park’s official free newspaper, Smokies Guide, its biannual member publication, Smokies Life Journal, and its online blog and newsletter, Smokies LIVE. Full of stunning photography and thought-provoking reads, Smokies Life Journal provides readers with a deeper dive into the flora, fauna, culture, and history of the park, while also offering a behind-the-scenes look into park maintenance and restoration, scientific research and discoveries, and other current events. Smokies Life Journal is mailed to Park Keepers free of charge each spring and fall and is also available for purchase in retail stores throughout the park.
In 2021, Smokies Life launched its six-part podcast mini-series, “Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music.” Hosted by Drs. William Turner and Ted Olson, “Sepia Tones” surveys the many Black roots and branches of Southern Appalachian music by sharing research, listening to recordings, and interviewing contemporary Black musicians and experts in music history.
Each story told by Smokies Life plays an important role in understanding and appreciating Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When woven together, these individual threads reveal a beautiful tapestry of culture, history, and wild surroundings.
About Smokies Life
Effective February 1, 2024, under its new name and brand identity, Smokies Life is a nonprofit cooperating association founded in 1953 to support the perpetual preservation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Smokies Life fulfills this mission by engaging with park visitors to promote better understanding and appreciation of the Smokies — all while providing more than $1 million in aid to the park each year.
Though much of the organization’s funding comes from retail revenue, Smokies Life also depends on the generosity of its members, called Park Keepers, to fulfill its mission of preserving the Smokies for generations to come.
Park Keepers:
- Help the association welcome more than 13 million people to Great Smoky Mountains National Park each year with state-of-the-art visitor centers, where visitors can find educational programs or recommendations for the best hiking, picnicking, and camping spots.
- Support backcountry rangers, who protect more than 800 miles of trails, full of waterfalls, scenic vistas, historic structures, and quiet groves of old-growth forest.
- Help preserve cultural identity through old-time traditions like sorghum and soap making, spinning, quilting, and basket making. Help the association manage the more than 1,900 black bears who are wild, free, and thriving in the park.
- Support the fight against pests and invasive species attacking the park’s hemlock trees.
- Make engaging educational experiences possible for thousands of students each year.
By becoming a Park Keeper you join forces with more than 29,000 individuals from all over the world in celebrating and conserving all that the Great Smoky Mountains have to offer. Starting at just $40 annually, your membership makes you a committed steward of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and each membership includes a subscription to Smokies Life Journal, discounts on all purchases at Smokies Life stores in the park and online, and exclusive invitations to Park Keeper-only hikes and events. Join today by clicking here.
Connect with Smokies Life
Follow us on social media:
Subscribe to:
- Smokies LIVE, the Smokies Life online blog and newsletter.
- Smoky Mountain Air, a podcast series featuring interviews and stories with authors, scientists, and park experts (available on most podcast-streaming platforms).
- Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music, a podcast mini-series (available on most podcast-streaming platforms).
Visit:
- Smokies Life online wildflower and fall color reports for daily updates on seasonal color in the Smokies.
- The park’s official online store, smokieslife.org.
