Morgan Simmons

• Changing views of French Broad valley highlight of Cherokee trail Published 02/02/2012 at 5 p.m.

  DEL RIO, Tenn. — Anyone who has driven U.S. Highway 25-70 from Knoxville to Hot Springs, N.C., is familiar with the striking beauty of the French Broad River valley.

• Smokies draws most in visitor spending among national parks Published 01/27/2012 at 4 a.m.

  A new study by Michigan State University reaffirms Great Smoky Mountains National Park's position as the top national park in the U.S. for visitor spending.

• Smokies' 2011 visits hit the 9 million mark — barely Published 01/23/2012 at 4 a.m.

  A last-minute surge in visitation enabled the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to squeak past the 9 million visitors mark for 2011.

• Cyclocross racing growing in Knoxville Published 01/19/2012 at 5 p.m.

  As the director of Knoxville's cyclocross racing series, John Baker has witnessed firsthand how the sport — a form of cycling developed in the French countryside in the early 1900s — repels as often as it attracts.

• Book discussion to explore planet's fresh-water issues Published 01/14/2012 at 4 a.m.

  As a founder of the Dagger Canoe Co. and past chair of the Tennessee Conservation Committee, Steve Scarborough has more than a passing interest in water.

• TWRA asks public to keep eye out for bald eagle nests Published 01/13/2012 at 4 a.m.

  The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is conducting a comprehensive bald eagle nest count for 2012 and would like help from the public.

• Rare crane joins Hiwassee Refuge flock Published 01/10/2012 at 4 a.m.

  Each winter some 12,000 migrating sandhill cranes gather at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers to fatten up on corn, millet and milo grown at the Hiwassee Refuge in Birchwood, Tenn.

• 2011 busy year for Foothills Land Conservancy Published 01/09/2012 at 6:20 p.m.

  From family farms in the Tennessee Valley to the free-flowing streams of the Cumberland Plateau, the Foothills Land Conservancy cast a wide net in 2011.

• Carlock Stooksbury, Museum of Appalachia musician, dies at 88 Published 01/06/2012 at 4 a.m.

  Carlock Stooksbury, whose broad smile and musical talent made him a beloved figure at the Museum of Appalachia, died Tuesday at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge. He was 88 years old.

• Hike of the month: Big South Fork loop trail follows river gorge Published 01/05/2012 at 6 p.m.

  When it comes to eye-popping scenery, there is no better hike in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area than the Grand Gap Loop.

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