Cades Cove Closed......

....For 3 weeks in September 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials remind visitors that the Cades Cove Loop Road will be fully closed for three weeks in September to resurface the popular roadway which is used by more than 2 million visitors each year. 

The one-way road will be closed to all motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and horseback riders from Tuesday, Sept. 7 through Monday, Sept. 27.  

During the closure, trails must be accessed from outside of the Cades Cove area as there will be no access to any trailheads from the Cades Cove Loop Road during the closure.  

Prior to the full closure, the loop road will also be closed to pedestrians and motorists for night work on Sunday through Thursday evenings, beginning at 7:30 p.m., from Aug. 16 through Sept. 2.

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 Nov. 2, 2020 to replace five bridges. The closure has been extended through Friday, Aug. 27, 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.

For more information regarding these closures call 865-436-1200, or visit the GSMNP at:  http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm

Greenbrier Area Reopened Friday, May 7

 Wow! this is great for those folks wanting to experience the Ramsey Cascades....and other routes.  The following is the GSMNP announcement:  

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that the Greenbrier area of the park reopened to all public use at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 7. The area has been closed since January 11 to replace the Ramsey Prong bridge and the Porters Creek culvert. Construction crews were able to complete the repairs before the anticipated opening date of May 15. All trails, roads, and facilities in the Greenbrier area are now fully accessible to the public.

Rainbow Falls Trail Closed for Bridge Replacement

 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials will implement a temporary, weekday closure of Rainbow Falls Trail for two weeks to accommodate the replacement of a foot-log bridge approximately two miles from the trailhead. 

The area will be closed weekly on Monday through Thursday from May 10 through May 20. The trail will be fully open each week on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In order to efficiently replace the foot-log bridge along the narrow trail corridor, a full closure is necessary for the safety of the crew and visitors. Hikers can still reach Mt. Le Conte and the Le Conte Shelter by using one of the other trails to the summit. The Boulevard, Bull Head, Alum Cave, and Trillium Gap trails all lead to Mt. Le Conte.

 

For more information about hiking in the park, please visit the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/hiking.htm or call the Backcountry Office at 865-436-1297. 

Abrams Falls Trail Closed....Rehabilitation Begins May 10

 Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that a Trails Forever rehabilitation project in Cades Cove will begin next week on Abrams Falls Trail. The trail and associated parking areas will be closed May 10, 2021, through November 10, 2021, excluding federal holidays, on Monday mornings at 7:00 a.m. through Thursday evenings at 5:30 p.m. weekly. The trail will be fully open each week on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Abrams Falls Trail is one of the busiest trails in the park in one of the busiest areas of the park, Cades Cove. The trail winds through a pine-oak forest along Abrams Creek for 2.5 miles before reaching the 20-foot Abrams Falls. Due to high use, many areas are severely eroded and in need of repair to improve safety and to ensure the sustainability of the trail surface for years to come. The trail crew will focus rehabilitation efforts on several targeted locations between the trailhead and the falls. The work will improve overall trail safety and protect natural resources by improving the tread surface, reducing trail braiding, and improving drainage to prevent further erosion. 

Due to the rehabilitation work along the narrow trail corridor, a full closure is necessary for the safety of both the crew and visitors. There will not be any access to Abrams Falls, Abrams Falls Trail, or associated parking lots during the weekday closures. Trailhead access from Cades Cove for to the Rabbit Creek Trail will also be closed, but the trail itself will remain open and can be accessed from Abrams Creek.

Just a note from the folks at wmbb- If you are not at least a novice hiker in fairly good health, wearing the proper footwear, carrying some non-caffeinated fluids to drink along with a snack to eat, please do not attempt to reach Abrams Falls from the Abrams Creek area. This is Not an easy Hike. 

Cades Cove Closed to Vehicles on Wednesdays

 Hello, Beginning Yesterday, Wednesday  May 5th, and continuing through Sept. 1st, the Cades Cove Loop will be closed to vehicle traffic on Wednesdays. The following is the Park announcement:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park invites the public to enjoy the Cades Cove Loop Road on vehicle-free Wednesdays beginning May 5 through September 1. Participants are encouraged to visit in the afternoons and early evenings to spread use out throughout the day. Parking on site is limited, with parking lots often filling to capacity during the early morning hours. 

 

“We look forward to offering this unique experience again, but we are making some modifications to better protect our roadside infrastructure and camping experience from out-of-bounds parking,” said Superintendent Cash. “I heard from many people who loved having the full day to walk or ride their bikes around the cove. The credit for the idea goes to the local field staff who brought the concept forward in an effort to allow people more time to enjoy the loop road and to reduce congestion.” 

 

This year, staff will manage on-site parking to improve visitor safety, minimize impacts to campground operations, and reduce roadside parking on non-durable surfaces. Roadside parking damages shoulders and creates unsafe conditions for visitors walking from their car to their destination. Parking at this popular destination is limited. Park staff are developing information systems to better alert visitors when parking lots are full before they enter the park. In addition, park staff are exploring shuttle opportunities to safely bring people to Cades Cove from the Townsend area. Staff plan to have some of these additional options in place later during the summer season. 

 

Cyclists are reminded to properly prepare for a safe experience. Serious cycling accidents have occurred along the Cades Cove Loop Road. The State of Tennessee requires that children age 16 and under wear a helmet. All riders are strongly encouraged to wear helmets and to ride properly fitted and well-maintained bicycles. During summer and fall, bicycles may be rented at the campground store located near the Cades Cove Campground on a first-come, first-served basis. For information call 865-448-9034.

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

Lumber Ridge and Meigs Mtn. trails....

   And campsite #20. Wow! what a great overnight hike. The Mysterious One, and I left the Lumber Ridge trailhead at Tremont after waiting out some of the more intense rain and thunderstorms that were going on last Monday the 15th. We were not pressed for daylight so waiting was ok and and we were hiking up Lumber Ridge trail in a light rain around 2pm.

The rain stopped shortly after we began so we were losing the rain gear pretty quick.
Hiking up Lumber Ridge from this direction, begins, and continues as an incline for approx. 3mls. The trail bobbing in and out with the texture of the mtn. until reaching Buckhorn Gap and the intersection of Meigs Mtn. and Meigs Creek trails. at 4.1 mls.
From the gap we took the Meigs Mtn. trail about another 4mls to campsite #20.
We were blessed with blooming rhododendrons and other wild flowers along the route.
This route is a beautiful walk along the side of the mountain any time of year. Once on this trail the loss and gain of elevation is relatively minimal and is usually very quiet. With large trees, wild flowers and wildlife around to experience as you walk.
Campsite #20 used to be a group site and is an open site with little privacy, but easy access to several running streams as sources for water.

Mt. Sterling via Mt. Sterling Gap/Trail

Wow! It's been too long between real hikes in the Appalachian Mtns.! Now I have walked around the house which sits on the edge of some of the bigger foothills of the Appalachian range but not really in the big mountains!
Dave, the hiker guy from Nashville, and I set out on this rainy day for a short, intense hike up the Mt. Sterling Trail from Mt. Sterling Gap, a couple of weeks ago. And we maintained the route though we had to extend it by approx. 4.4 mls because the road was closed at the park boundary which was 2.2 mls. from the trailhead.
This route is difficult in the elevation gained over the short distance covered; Dave, the hiker guy from Nashville, can provide the specific numbers, but it's like 800'/mile traveling in from the trailhead at Mt. Sterling Gap, and is
sometimes a rough and rocky trail.

If someone is needing or wanting to access campsite #38, quickly, it's the route.
However this trail should be approached with some degree of cautious awareness in that it is steep, without much let-up once it starts the incline to it's intersection with the Mt. Sterling ridge and the Benton MacKaye trail.
There were a few vistas even in the heavy foliage of the early summer and water was available along the climb up, though from slow running drainages crossing the trail.
And I assume at the watering hole at #38 but as I was working my way towards that water source (.5 from #38) I saw a bear heading that direction and just decided I'd get some on the way down.
A couple of years ago the Mysterious One and I were sitting on some rocks at the watering hole for site #38, and had a bear just come wandering up for water. We made a quick and safe exit.
Back to the present,  great hike, rain stopped shortly after we began the climb up, and Dave, the hiker guy from Nashville, and I completed the day without injury.