National Parks Exploration Series: Great Smoky Mountains

An impressionistic view of Canada's national parks. The camera creates a composite landscape of ideal beauty where nature is wild and varied. It travels from the east coast to the west, from seashore to mountains, from lakes to forests. A film without words.

Take a thrilling journey to four of the greatest national treasures of Europe and Africa. Walk along the misty shores of Ireland's rocky northern coast to experience the legendary Giant's Causeway. Search for elusive mountain gorillas in Uganda's lush Impenetrable Forest. Climb the stunning snow-capped peaks of Italy's timeless Alps to discover the regal ibex in Gran Paradiso National Park. Behold the spectacle of thundering herds of migrating wildebeest, zebra and gazelle on Africa's fabled Serengeti Plains.

Explore Kui Buri National Park, a Southeast Asian haven where elephants, gaurs, and vibrant wildlife thrive thanks to ingenious conservation efforts.

Follows the story of "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in his attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.

Huelva, Spain, an isolated region lost in time. The grass, the sand and the sky are the same that those foreigners saw in the spring of 1895, when they crossed the sea from a distant country to mark the unspoiled terrain and extract its wealth, when the tower was new, when people could climb to the top of the highest dune and imagine that the city of Tartessos was still there, in the distance, almost invisible in the morning brume.

Experience Yosemite's incredible wonders with breathtaking cinematography, including such icons as the granite monoliths El Capitan and Half Dome, and the spectacular Bridal Veil and Yosemite Falls. Learn about Yosemite's fascinating history as the first land set aside for preservation that inspired John Muir and photographer Ansel Adams and discover why Yosemite is one of America's Crown Jewels.

Filmed over 23 years, Rise of the Warrior Apes tells the epic story of an extraordinary troop of chimpanzees in Ngogo, Uganda – featuring four mighty warriors who rule through moral ambiguity, questionable politics, strategic alliances and destroyed trust.

“Let nature be nature” is the philosophy of the Bavarian Forest National Park. Despite massive resistance, this vision has become a groundbreaking showcase project. Because humans do not interfere with nature, the former commercial forests grow into a primeval forest, a unique ecosystem and a refuge for biodiversity. People from all over the world come here. They are looking for answers to the question of why we need more wild nature and what we can learn from it to preserve forests for future generations in times of climate change.

The Grand Canyon is a breathtaking natural monument. It's one of the planet’s best-known landscapes, yet we often forget that it tells two billion years of the Earth's history. Geologists Karl Karlström and Laurie Crossey are the leading experts on this. Over the course of 8 days, they descend the Colorado river and tackle hundreds of rapids to unveil the mysteries held in the Grand Canyon, and the place that humans occupy within it.

Nature documentary about a young wildebeest in the wilderness of Africa. The gnu calf strays from the herd and comes upon a lioness that kidnaps it. Instinctively, it treats the lion like its mother. And miraculously enough, the lioness does not see the calf as its prey. Like a true Survivor, the calf manages to escape from the lion's den and find its way back to its real mother.

The transcript discusses the prevalent drug culture, particularly marijuana use, among youth in national parks. It highlights the perception that marijuana is less harmful than harder drugs and reflects on the challenges park rangers face in enforcing drug laws. While acknowledging the existence of drug trafficking, the narrative emphasizes that marijuana use is often seen as a minor issue compared to alcohol consumption or harder narcotics. The conversation also touches on the need for a more nuanced understanding of drug use, suggesting that current laws may be overly stringent and not reflective of societal attitudes.

The Lake District, nearly all a national park, covers a mountainous region in NW England's Cumbria county, and contains Windemere and other lakes, England's largest and deepest. The seasons dominate tourism, the dominant modern sector as it is the most popular domestic destination, with walks, aquatic fun and lake tours, as well as traditional rural life, including old-fashioned games and competitions at Rusland. While the varied environment is home to many wildlife species, some rare or even unique, the agricultural pride is the local Herdwick sheep, which produces fine wool and survives outdoors on high slopes even in harsh winters.

In Missing 411: The UFO Connection, David Paulides continues the story of people who vanish in the wild without a trace. In his third documentary, David reveals the first evidence documenting a link between UFOs and missing people.

Documentary about four friends on a 3,000 mile journey across the American West on horseback.

Roam the Wild West frontier land of the Rio Grande’s Big Bend alongside its iconic animals, including black bears, rattlesnakes and scorpions.

Tackling colossal waterfalls in Gabon, kayakers Adrian Mattern, Dane Jackson, Bren Orton and Kalob Grady's story of high-stakes adventure reveals the gritty reality behind the veneer of social media.

In an increasingly urban nation, Canada’s national parks are a treasured escape into extraordinary beauty and rugged wilderness. If the Group of Seven were an introduction to the landscape’s majesty, National Parks Project is the next logical chapter. Fifty-two contemporary artists from across the country, whose talents are as diverse as the parks they set out to explore, used their surroundings as a source of inspiration to blend musical and cinematic skills into collaboratively crafted vignettes. Epic in its ambition to celebrate these locales during Parks Canada’s centennial year, this omnibus film resonates with the knowledge that our unprotected land is more vulnerable than ever. Including films by Zacharius Kunuk, Peter Lynch, Sturla Gunnarsson and John Walker, and music by Sarah Harmer, Sam Roberts, Cadence Weapon and The Besnard Lakes, among many others, National Parks Project is a one-of-a-kind documentary experience.

Acadia National Park, Maine, is a favorite vacation destination for good reason. The views are spectacular. The landscape is pristine. And, the wildlife is plentiful and protected. As a result, Acadia National Park is one of the most visited National Parks in the United States.

This documentary focuses on the Green Gabon program in the Congo Basin and explores rainforest conservation efforts as a way to stem climate change.

Glenn Close narrates this National Park Service movie about the many varied aspects of Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve. Shown at Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center.