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.