Search underway for Florida visitor missing in Great Smoky Mountains, park reports

UPDATE: The National Park Service announced May 6 it was suspending the “active search” for Gordon Kaye after 11 days. “Operations will now switch from an active search to a limited, but continuous search, which may include back country patrols, air searches when practical, and outreach to hikers heading into the area,” officials said.

The original story is below.

A Florida tourist has gone missing in the vast Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to the National Park Service.

Gordon Kaye, 68, of Tampa, was last seen Saturday, April 23, near a backcountry campsite on the North Carolina side of the park, about 180 miles west of Charlotte.

Kaye’s family reported him missing Wednesday, April 26, the park reports.

“He is an experienced hiker, camper, and hunter and had reserved a campsite at Deep Creek Campground for 14 days,” park officials reported.

“Search teams (have) focused on trails and areas in and around the Deep Creek Campground. ... More than 120 people from 29 agencies and three states are helping the National Park Service in the search.”

Deep Creek is in the remote southeastern part of the park and “is celebrated for its streams and waterfalls.” The site has miles of trails that loop through the wilderness, the longest of which exceeds 4 miles, the National Park Service says.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park includes 522,427 acres split “almost evenly between the states of North Carolina and Tennessee,” the NPS reports. The park saw nearly 13 million visitors in 2022.

This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 6:58 AM with the headline "Search underway for Florida visitor missing in Great Smoky Mountains, park reports."