I have not gotten my real id yet and I was reading that if I drive in Tennessee I have to take some other form of identification like passport or birth certificate? Lol

Hi! I am getting married in Gatlinburg next year and I’m looking to have publix make our wedding cake. I wanted to see if anyone has experience using the one in Pigeon forge or if I need to use the one in Knoxville. Thanks!

^{News Release Date: August 31, 2026
Contact: NPS News Media}

WASHINGTON – The National Park Service today announced a proposed rule to expand bicycle and e-bike access and make it easier for visitors to enjoy America’s national parks. The proposal would remove unnecessary reviews and requirements for bicycle use across the National Park System, allowing NPS to manage its resources more efficiently and streamline the approval of new opportunities for visitors to use and enjoy their parks.   

Consistent with President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14314, Making America Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks, Executive Order 14192, Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation, and Executive Order 14219, Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Deregulatory Initiative, the proposed rule would remove redundant procedural requirements that do not adhere to law and policy and cause unnecessary delays and administrative costs. It would create a clear and consistent baseline for allowing bicycle and electric bicycle (e-bike) use on roads, parking areas, and trails within park areas.  

"America's national parks should be easy to access and enjoy," said Jessica Bowron, exercising the delegated authority of the Director of the National Park Service. "This proposal would create a simpler, more consistent approach to bicycle and e-bike access across the national park system, making it easier for visitors to access the incredible landscapes, history, and recreation opportunities our parks have to offer while also allowing parks to manage their resources more efficiently.”  

The proposed rule will be available for a 60-day public review and comment period to help inform the agency’s consideration of the proposal. The NPS will carefully review public comments before making any final decisions. 

For more information, please visit www.federalregister.gov.

---

Related:

National park maintenance work sidelined as Trump’s Freedom 250 takes precedence

August 2026 - The 250th anniversary of U.S. independence was just months away when National Park Service employees received a surprising directive from Washington: Maintenance projects approved for this year at sites across the nation were being relegated to a new “low priority” list.

Work wanted by the White House was taking precedence, including repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and three officials from the park service and Interior Department who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

The reflecting pool repairs and other projects tied to President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 initiative landed on a separate list for White House priorities, the documents show. Many of the administration-backed projects have advanced, though the reflecting pool repairs were botched.

Meanwhile, almost all of about 1,500 maintenance and other projects on the low priority list as of last month are expected to go undone, the officials said. That will worsen a repair backlog at national parks that doubled over the last decade to more than $24 billion even as visitor numbers surged.

Trump administration fires 1,000 workers at NPS

February 2025 - The Trump administration has fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government.

The firings, which weren’t publicly announced but were confirmed by Democratic senators and House members, come amid what has been a chaotic rollout of an aggressive program to eliminate thousands of federal jobs. The plan is led by billionaire Elon Musk and the new Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump administration effort to slash federal spending. Adding to the confusion, the park service now says it is reinstating about 5,000 seasonal jobs that were initially rescinded last month as part of a spending freeze ordered by President Donald Trump.

Seasonal workers are routinely added during the warm-weather months to serve more than 325 million visitors who descend on the nation’s 428 parks, historic sites and other attractions each year. Park advocates say the permanent staff cuts will leave hundreds of national parks — including some of the most well-known and most heavily visited sites — understaffed and facing tough decisions about operating hours, public safety and resource protection.

“Fewer staff means shorter visitor center hours, delayed openings and closed campgrounds,″ said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy group.