Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that the Greenbrier area will be temporarily closed at the Greenbrier Ranger Station to all motorists and pedestrians through April 23, 2021. Previously the closure was in place at the picnic area. The closure area has been expanded due to pedestrian use beyond the picnic area into the construction zone which poses an unacceptable safety risk to visitors and workers.

Ramsey Cascades Trail, Porters Creek Trail, Grapeyard Ridge Trail, Backcountry Campsite 31, Backcountry Campsite 32, and all manways along the Greenbrier Road will also be closed to visitor use for the duration of the construction closure. Old Settlers and Brushy Mountain Trails will continue to be open, but hikers cannot access these trails from the Greenbrier area during the closure and should plan their routes carefully.

For more information about this work, please visit the park website at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/greenbrier-road-sections-temporarily-closed-for-bridge-replacement.htm. For more information about temporary road closures across the park, please visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials are extending a pilot project in Cades Cove by continuing vehicle-free access on the Cades Cove Loop Road on Wednesdays from May 5 through September 1, 2021. Park managers implemented this weekly, full-day opportunity in 2020 in an effort to improve the visitor experience and to reduce congestion associated with vehicle-free mornings that were previously offered until 10:00 a.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The park received 47 comments through mail, email, phone, and comment cards regarding the vehicle-free day pilot project. More than 60% of these comments were extremely positive, however, some campers were still impacted by early morning parking congestion and some visitors were disappointed by the lack of vehicle access on Wednesdays. Overall, the full-day opportunity provided a more enjoyable and safe experience for the nearly 30,000 bicyclists and pedestrians who participated in the vehicle-free day opportunities. During the 2020 season, 25% more pedestrians and cyclists participated in vehicle-free access periods per week as compared to the 2019 season, with an average of 1,800 participants each Wednesday.

Park managers continue to be concerned about parking congestion and will monitor use levels, parking availability, visitor experience, and congestion throughout the second year of the pilot project. According to data collected in 2020, parking lots were full during 30% of the observation period and roadside shoulders along Laurel Creek Road were utilized for parking during 60% of the observation period. Staff and volunteers will implement some changes in parking access this season to ease pressure on campground and picnic area parking lots and to prevent roadside parking along Laurel Creek Road. Roadside parking damages shoulders and creates unsafe conditions for visitors walking from their car to their destination.

For more information about congestion monitoring in the park, please visit the park website at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/management/ves.htm.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that the Cades Cove Loop Road will be fully closed for three weeks in September 2021 to resurface the popular roadway which is used by more than 2 million visitors a year. The one-way road will be closed to all motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and horseback riders from Tuesday, September 7 through Monday, September 27.

The road was fully reconstructed and resurfaced in 2010. This preventive pavement treatment will maintain the heavily used road in good condition and extend the service life of the asphalt surface. A full closure is necessary to allow logistical movement of trucks and paving equipment along the narrow, one-way road.

While the contract duration is expected to be two months, the actual asphalt paving operation will occur over the three-week closure period. Work also includes resurfacing of the campground entrance road from Laurel Creek Road to the Cades Campground and the parking area adjacent to the Cades Cove Campground Store. The campground, picnic area, campground store, and horse stables will remain open and accessible throughout the duration of the paving project.

In addition, current roadwork occurring in Cades Cove along Forge Creek Road has been extended. Forge Creek Road has been closed to all use since November 2, 2020 to replace five bridges. The closure has been extended through Saturday, July 31, 2021. Due to the complete removal of the bridges and the use of large equipment to perform repair work, the road will continue to be closed to all use. The full closure prevents all access (by foot, bicycle, or horse) to the Henry Whitehead Place and Gregory Ridge, Gregory Bald, and Hannah Mountain trailheads. Gregory Bald is accessible from trails outside the Cades Cove area, including Wolf Ridge Trail, Long Hungry Trail, or a section of the Appalachian Trail. For more information about these routes, please contact the Backcountry Office at 865-436-1297.

For more information about temporary road closures, please visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm.

For the past few years, Amy Eversole and the ‘Trailblazers’ have been hiking all over the Great Smoky Mountains.

Some of them have earned their 500-mile pins from the park service. Others are following closely behind. All of them have been supporting each other through life’s ups and downs.

“They’re the best women ever,” Amy Eversole said. “They’re like sisters and I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

The group tries to organize hikes together at least twice a month. “We’re all different in so many ways,” Melanie Bissell said. “But, one thing we do have in common is a hiking trail.”

It’s also a chance for them to hang out, talk and enjoy the outdoors. “It’s just such a great bond that we have together, supporting each other through everything,” Stacy Dickerson said. “Whether it’s through sad times through illness through happy times.”

“We just support each other and everything we do,” Amy Eversole said. “Sisterhood is so important at all ages. Get outside and go play in the mountains. You don’t know what you’re missing.”

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Public lands in Western North Carolina are set to get a chunk of the $9.5 billion approved for deferred maintenance projects with the ratification of the Great American Outdoors Act. The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service both released project lists last week.

Hailed as the largest single investment in public lands in the nation’s history, the bipartisan act dedicates up to $9.5 billion over five years to address the much larger maintenance backlog on federal lands, as well as $900 million per year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has for the past 50 years protected land for parks, wildlife refuges and recreation nationwide. The law requires that half of the money received from energy development revenues on federal lands and waters go toward these programs, not to exceed $1.9 billion in any fiscal year.

Nationwide, the Forest Service has a deferred maintenance backlog of $5.2 billion, while the Park Service’s stands at $12 billion. As of 2018, the last year for which figures are available, the backlog in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was worth $235.9 million, and the Blue Ridge Parkway carried a backlog of $508.1 million.

The funds will go to agencies under both the Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture, each of which is handling the process of prioritizing and carrying out the projects in a different way.

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100 Favorite Trails of the Smokies and the Carolina Blue Ridge, an essential guide for avid hikers, has been updated for the first time in 25 years.

The guide features a full-color map printed on waterproof paper for hikers to keep track of trails. 27 of the trails featured in the guide are found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Originally created in 1966 by Bernard Elias, who hiked 10 to 12 trails a year and updated the information using a special shorthand he created. The map he made was an immediate hit among avid hikers — its portable package featuring the very best hikes in both the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains.

Elias updated the “100 Favorite Trails” map 13 times until its last printing in 1993 when his age prevented him from completing many of the map’s trails.

While previous versions of the map included trails more geared toward backpackers, the updated edition focuses on day hikes of varying lengths in the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The newly updated map and guide is available for $12.95 in the park’s visitor center bookstores and at GSMA’s online store, smokiesinformation.org.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that the Federal Highway Administration awarded two construction contracts to replace seven bridges and repair seven others across the park. The work will continue through January 19, 2022 and necessitates several single-lane closures and a few full road closures to safely accomplish the repairs.

Forge Creek Road in the Cades Cove area will be closed to all use beginning November 2, 2020 through May 27, 2021 to replace five bridges. Due to the complete removal of the bridges and the use of large equipment to perform repair work, the road will be closed to all users. There will be no access to Henry Whitehead Place or the Gregory Bald Trailhead during this time period.

Bridges in the following areas will be repaired throughout the contract period and visitors should expect single-lane closures in these areas: two bridges along the Gatlinburg Bypass; two bridges along Little River Road; two bridges in the Elkmont area, and one bridge in the Park Headquarters area. This winter, the park will announce dates for a month-long full closure of the road leading to Ramsey Cascades Trailhead and the road leading to Smoky Mountain Stables to fully replace bridges in those areas when the schedule is finalized.

Adams Contracting LLC of Lexington, KY was awarded a $3.5 million contract to replace the five bridges along Forge Creek Road. Work includes the replacement of timber decks, installation of steel beams, and building of new abutment walls and concrete approach slabs. Estes Brothers of Jonesville, VA was awarded a $1 million contract to replace two bridges and repair seven bridges in the other areas in the park. Repair work includes replacing damaged rails, repointing masonry, sealing cracks, and repairing deck joints.

For more information about road closures, please visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm.

The Smokies Service Days program will return with a slate of Saturday service opportunities in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, starting with a Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 session to be held 9:30 a.m. to noon at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee.

Other scheduled service days are:

Oct. 31: “The Deep Creep” Litter Cleanup, 10 a.m. to noon at Deep Creek Picnic Area near Bryson City. All ages.

Nov. 7: Historic Landscape Management in Daisy Town, 9 a.m. to noon at Elkmont in Tennessee. Ages 15 and up.

Nov. 14: Vegetation Management at Historic Voorheis Estate, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Twin Creeks Science Center in Tennessee. Ages 12 and up.

Nov. 21: Campground Cleanup, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Smokemont Campground near Cherokee. Ages 10 and up.

Volunteer projects last between two and four hours. Tasks are available appropriate to a wide range of abilities, with some age restrictions. Tools and safety gear, including gloves and high visibility safety vests, will be provided by park staff, but participants should wear closed-toed shoes and bring their own food and water. Due to COVID-19 safety measures, the number of volunteers for each project is limited.

Sign up with Project Coordinator Madison Ficca by emailing [email protected] ahead of the scheduled event date with “SSD Registration” in the subject line.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash and the Great Smoky Mountains Association are drawing on the nature around them to provoke open conversation about race and a change in racial biases.

Smokies Hikes for Healing will be held August through December, 2020 in different locations across the park in Tennessee and North Carolina.

During the eight hikes, a facilitator will lead each group in discussion around race and equip participants with tools and ideas about how to identify biases through a deeper level of self-awareness and reflection so that participants can become intentional in addressing racism and race relations.

“National Parks have long provided a place of healing, and I believe the setting of this mountain sanctuary is a powerful space to bring us together to engage in crucial conversations,” Superintendent Cassius Cash said. “This year has brought a lot of uncertainty and fear that tends to draw people to their corners. Through this opportunity, I’m inviting everyone to step out and have real conversations about the history of racism locally and globally. In learning about our past, we open the doors to our future.”

Space is limited to up to 10 participants for each hike. Groups will follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including social distancing and wearing facial coverings when the appropriate distance cannot be maintained. Interested individuals can find more information on how to apply for the hikes by visiting smokieshikesforhealing.org.

Cades Cove Loop Road will now be vehicle-free on Wednesdays beginning June 17,2020 through September 30 as part of a pilot study to improve visitor experience in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

For several years, Wednesday and Saturday mornings during the summer have been offered as vehicle-free periods until 10:00 am so that cyclists and pedestrians can better experience the area. However, congested parking areas and disruption of visitor services associated with this schedule prompted the park to propose the study.

In total, 2,278 people from 37 states submitted comments on the proposal. More than 60 percent supported the trial change, and 20 percent opposed it. About 15 percent said they would like to see Sunday morning closures continue but also supported a full-day closure on Wednesday.

Closing the roadway for the entire day will give bicyclists and pedestrians more than 12 hours of daylight to use the Loop Road without vehicles, and spreading use throughout the day is expected to improve the parking situation. By eliminating the Saturday morning closures, more motorists will have access during the busiest day of the week, and park staff and volunteers will be able to better support visitor programs on Wednesdays and Saturdays instead of devoting all personnel to traffic management and parking.

Park management will evaluate results of the pilot study to inform future actions. Vehicles will be able to access the area seven days per week October through April, and people with disabilities are invited to use mobility-assisted devices on the road during vehicle-free days.

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