Smoky Mountains NP in Spring Photo Tour (May 4-8, 2026)

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PRICE: 

Registration: $1075 NANPA/ASMP Members, and non-members 

If you are not currently a member, you may want to consider joining NANPA to take advantage of member benefits (1 year membership $100)

Maximum number of attendees: 14 (up to 7 participants per leader)

Last date to register: April 13, 2026

DATES:

• Monday, May 4, 2026 at 5 pm to Friday May 8, 2026 (travel day, no planned activities)
• March 31, 2026 7-8 pm (Eastern Time) Pre-event Preparatory Webinar for participants
• (optional) TBD 7-9 pm (Eastern Time) Post event Image Sharing and Feedback Webinar for participants

Event check-in, Meet & Greet and tour orientation
Monday, May 4, 2026 at 5 pm in the hotel lounge.

EVENT OVERVIEW:

Join local Tennessee photographers Coby Cooper and Tom Haxby photographing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) in Spring. Spring is an amazing time to visit the Smoky Mountains and especially Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Wildflowers are in bloom, the streams and waterfalls are flowing strong, wildlife is plentiful as many species have returned to the park or come out of hibernation. Black bears have emerged from winter’s rest and abound in areas like Cade’s Cove with both cubs of the year and their yearlings on the second year of their mother’s care. Mothers can be found nursing, grazing in the many meadows, teaching their cubs to climb trees and just generally teaching them bear behavior.

The park is alive with new life, energy and endless photographic opportunities.

Leading this tour for NANPA are 2 of NANPA’s past Presidents. Coby Cooper and Tom Haxby both have extensive experience living in (combined 10+ years) and photographing (20+ years) the Smoky Mountains, the wildlife, landscapes and nature.

NANPA is an authorized permittee of the National Parks Service.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

This tour is open for up to 14 participants (7 per leader) to give each plenty of time with the leader and to retain flexibility based on weather and the best opportunities.

This tour includes both landscape and wildlife photo opportunities. Common wildlife includes American Black Bears, White-tailed Deer, countless birds, and a GSMNP unique feature of more species of salamanders than anywhere on earth!

The group will meet up Monday evening for an orientation, shoot all day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and be free to depart on Friday morning.

Tuesday morning, we will start early as we depart for Cades Cove for daybreak and visit various locations on the loop road for photo stops including vistas, flowers and hopefully, wildlife. We will return to the hotel for a rest mid-afternoon before heading back into the Cove for more wildlife activity and golden hour photography.

Wednesday, participants will depart early, driving to the North Carolina side of the park to look for Elk.

Group will head back to Cades Cove for more bears, birds and landscape opportunities. The event ends with an evening sunset get together at the home of our leader Coby Cooper for a BBQ and sunset photography from his deck overlooking Wear’s Valley.

YOUR TOUR LEADERS:

Coby Cooper will be your leader for this event. If there are 8 or more participants on the event, Tom Haxby will be added as a second leader for this event.

Coby Cooper–

Coby Cooper is a wildlife photographer based in the Smoky Mountains and the Immediate Past President of NANPA. He has enjoyed a 40-year career in video production, broadcast television and digital media and marketing. Coby began as a commercial videographer, writer, producer and director. He ran a successful, award winning, multifaceted production company before turning to the management of broadcast television outlets. He has managed stations affiliated with all 4 of the major US broadcast networks. Coby most recently managed the ABC affiliate in Knoxville for Nexstar Media, the US’s largest broadcasting company before retiring and devoting full time to his wildlife photography.

Coby’s love is wildlife photography and travel. He has been fortunate to visit all 50 states and 47 countries. He has been above the Arctic Circle and below the Antarctic Circle for his photography. His photography has garnered awards in several contests including the Spider Awards for Black and White Photography, The Monochrome Awards, The International Color Awards, and been published in Outdoor Photography, Mensa Magazine and Digital Photo Magazine as well as several digital publications and on TV sets.

Based in the Smoky Mountains, he enjoys photographing the spectacular scenery and wildlife of the GSMNP, but bears have become his favorite subject. He often has black bears visit his home overlooking Wears Valley adjacent to the National Park and spends countless hours in Cades Cove. While he travels to capture coastal brown bears, grizzlies and polar bears, the American Black Bears of East Tennessee remain his constant favorite.

 

Tom Haxby–

Tom is an award-winning photographer, long-time NANPA member and past-NANPA President. Residing 30 minutes from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), Tom also served as an Artist-In-Residence in the GSMNP.  As an instructor with the NANPA High School Scholarship Program based in the Smokies at the Tremont Institute he learned about the park’s incredible diversity of life. Combined with his experience as a retired natural resource professional Tom has a detailed knowledge of the park and has spent the last two summers bicycling and photographing Cades Cove on car-free Wednesdays.  His passion is photographing landscapes while also spending time capturing the park’s amazing and diverse flora and fauna.

 

NEAREST AIRPORT:
McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, TN.
Estimated drive time from the airport to the hotel is 30 minutes.

Ride sharing services such as Uber or Lyft are available between the airport and the hotel.

EVENT TRANSPORTATION:

Transportation to and from the airport and during the event is not included and is the attendees’ responsibility. Car rental is available at the airport. A 4WD or high clearance vehicle is not required for this tour. 

Ride Sharing: We will depart daily from the hotel. Ride sharing is encouraged to reduce the size of our vehicle presence (there can be limited road pull out parking) and improve the traveling/following experience. You are welcome to either drive or ride with someone. This is a great way to meet and have fun with fellow photographers during the event. If you are a passenger in another participant’s car it is customary to offer the driver some gas money and chip in towards any vehicle admission/parking fee as a courtesy.

Note that NANPA, Coby Cooper and Tom Haxby do not have insurance for carpooling arrangements and assume no liability for them. Carpooling, ride sharing or anything similar is strictly a private arrangement among participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel.

LODGING:

We will be based in Townsend, Tennessee during this photo tour.

NANPA is holding a block of hotel rooms for event participants at a hotel in Townsend, TN at the following rates:

• 2 Queen Room $129 per night plus taxes and a $25 per room resort fee
• Single King Room $139 per night plus taxes and a $25 per room resort fee

A 1-night deposit is required at booking.

Check in time 4 pm, Check out time 11 am.

Hotel details and reservation procedure will be shared with registered participants.

MEAL

All meals will be on your own except for one picnic dinner on the last evening which is included.

PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATIONS:

• Black bears, deer and birds in Cades Cove
• Waterfalls and streams especially Middle Prong which is close to our event lodging
• Vistas along various trails and road pull-outs, mountain vistas from Foothills Parkway
• Wild flowers in various locations
• Possible elk near Cherokee, NC

Preliminary Schedule

Please note schedules are fluid due to weather conditions, recent wildlife sightings and other variables.

Monday, May 4, 2026

• 5:00 PM meet & greet and participant orientation in the hotel lounge.
• Group dinner at the Abbey restaurant (optional, not included)

Tuesday May 5, 2026

• Depart for Cades Cove for daybreak and visit various locations on the loop road for photo stops including vistas, flowers and hopefully, wildlife.
• Return to hotel for mid-afternoon rest
• Head back into the Cove for more wildlife activity and golden hour photography.
• Dinner on your own

Wednesday May 6, 2026

Cades Cove is closed to vehicle traffic on Wednesdays.

• The group will drive to the North Carolina side of the park with Coby to photograph elk and stream images at Oconaluftee Visitor Center area and Cherokee, NC. Sunset opportunities on return.
• Dinner on your own

Thursday May 7, 2026

• Sunrise: We will travel the scenic Foothills Parkway to capture mountain vistas
• During the day we will travel to one of several trails for hikes to stream and waterfall locations
• We will end the day at the mountain home of leader Coby Cooper for sunset photo opportunities overlooking Wears Valley and a farewell picnic on his deck overlooking the valley.

Friday May 8, 2026

• No planned activities.
• Departure day – check out by 11 AM.

HEALTH AND FITNESS:

This tour will have a moderately strenuous level of activity. Uneven ground in Cades Cove and along streams may be challenging for some. While some walking will be required, walking distances from vehicles will be minimal.

WEATHER AND CLOTHING

Personal rain protection and protection for gear is highly recommended. Hiking boots are advised. Dressing in layers is best. Temperatures at lower elevations tend to be moderate in early May. Higher elevations or early mornings may require light jackets. Participants may wish to bring gear for wading in streams including hiking poles and insect repellant.

Typical Temperature Range (Below ~3000 ft)

Daytime highs:

• Generally upper 60s to mid-70s°F (around 68 °F to ~77 °F), though a warm sunny day can briefly reach the lower 80s.

Nighttime lows:

• Typically, upper 40s to low 50s°F (around 45 °F to ~55 °F).

Higher elevations or in proximity to streams may be 10-20 degrees cooler.

CAMERA GEAR:

• Camera – DSLR or mirrorless, full frame or cropped sensor. Also, bring the camera manual should you need to consult it. Cellphone camera as backup is better than no camera and good for snaps of your group.
• Lenses – There will likely be photo opportunities for your full range of lenses, from extreme wide angle to telephoto and macro. We will use lenses from 10-800mm.
• Non-abrasive Lens Cleaning Cloth and Wipes.
• Tripod – Sunrise, sunset, twilight and nighttime light levels are too low to photograph properly without a sturdy tripod. A tripod will also help with slower shutter speeds on streams. A lightweight carbon fiber tripod with a ball head is recommended. A monopod is a great addition if you have large, heavy lenses for wildlife.
• Lots of Memory Card Storage – We use fast 64GB cards, good for stills & video.
• Camera Battery Charger and Extra Batteries.
• Polarizing filter(s) to fit each of your lenses.
• Neutral Density Filters, Graduated Neutral Density Filters
• Shutter Release – You can use a locking cable release, a wireless remote, or the camera’s self-timer
• Laptop Computer – for downloading, processing and viewing your images.
• Image Processing Software – Good choices include Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, or Elements.
• Back-up device – Such as an external hard drive.
• Flash Drive – For sharing images (for those unfortunate times the weather is just too awful to be outside

ADDITIONAL ITEMS:

• Flashlight and/or Headlamp preferably with a red light, or cover with a red filter, to limit distracting the birds for morning sessions.
• Cell Phone
• Water bottle/snacks/medicine
• Energy bars or other snacks
• Hiking poles (optional)
• Insect repellant.

GENERAL:

We will be based in Townsend, TN during this photo tour. Please keep in mind that this NANPA event is designed to be a photo tour, not workshop. That said; don’t be shy about asking Tom or Coby for help if you need it. This tour is open for a maximum of 14 participants to give each plenty of time with the leader and to retain flexibility based on weather and the best opportunities.

This event is designed for all levels of photographers – amateur, intermediate, advanced and professional – interested in improving their photography skills or looking for location guidance to capture images of this park.  If you are new to photography, Tom and Coby will be available to answer questions, show you some new techniques and help you improve your photographic skills.  If you already have plenty of photography experience, Tom and Coby will ensure that you’re in the best locations at the best times for great shots. Other participants are also great about sharing techniques, tips and ideas. Please know your camera before you arrive and bring your manual, just in case information needs to be looked up.

Attendance and participation at NANPA Photo Tours is limited to registered attendees only.  Anyone wishing to participate in any portion of, or travel with a registered attendee during the group event must contact the NANPA office and pay the full registration fee.

NANPA Photo Tour Cancellation and No Refund Policy:  

NANPA will not offer any refunds for registrations for this event regardless of when the cancellation is made or the reason for the cancellation. NANPA reserves the right to cancel any event or activity due to insufficient registration or any unforeseen circumstances. NANPA will offer refunds if NANPA has to cancel the event. It also has the right to substitute presenters if those originally scheduled cannot attend. Registrants may purchase event insurance as part of the registration process through NANPA’s partner, Allianz. More information on this option will be shown during the checkout process for the event registration. NOTE:  If you do not purchase event insurance at the time that you pay for your registration, you will NOT be able to go back and purchase it with Allianz later.

If you choose to purchase travel insurance separately, you can do so with your own insurance carrier, or NANPA members can receive a special travel insurance rate through USI Affinity/Travel Insurance Services.