Officials of The Great Smoky Mountain National Park announced Wednesday that the road to Clingman’s Dome and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail will remain closed.
The road to Clingman’s Dome is now scheduled to be open June 19th. The major setback on the project was the weather. The park recorded over 130 inches of snow this past winter.
The Roaring Fork Motor Trail in Gatlinburg has not set a new opening date. In addition to weather, this project has faced major delays due to the steep, narrow winding roads. Contractors have faced challenges maneuvering heavy equipment on the scenic roadway.
For complete information on park road, trail and campground closures please go to their web site.
Archive for the ‘Great Smoky Mountain National Park’ Category
National Park Announces Delays in Opening of Popular Areas
Thursday, May 27th, 2010Cades Cove Loop Road Repairs to be Completed Early
Friday, April 2nd, 2010Officials with Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced that road work on the Cades Cove Loop Road would be completed almost a month ahead of schedule. To celebrate the early finish the park will open April 24 to only pedestrians and bicyclists until noon then motorists will be allowed access that afternoon.
On Sunday April 25 the road will be open for the “Cades Cove Loop Lope” offering runners a once in a lifetime opportunity to compete in either a 3.5 mile or the full 11 mile loop. Organized by the park and Friends of the Smokies, the event will require participants to register in advance for the run. Participation fees are high ($75 for the 3.5 and $100 for the 11 mile) but all money will be used to support park projects. We have provided a link for further information on this special event, go to the Friends of the Smokies web site.
Road Repairs Scheduled in National Park
Friday, February 26th, 2010The Great Smoky Mountain National Park will be closing certain roads this spring for much needed repairs. These repairs will affect some of the parks most popular areas.
The Cades Cove Loop Road near Townsend, is slated for repaving from March 1 through May 21. Due to the fact the road has not been repaved in over thirty years, it will need to be totally closed down as it will require total reconstruction.
Clingmans Dome Road, which normally opens April 1st, will be kept closed until around May 29th. Along with road repairs, new public facilities are being installed at the parking area at Clingmans Dome.
The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is also scheduled to be closed till May 29th. The popular 5 mile scenic loop is in Gatlinburg.
Weather conditions will play an important factor in getting these three projects completed on time. This winter and last fall have been extremely wet causing rock slides along certain roads and making for wet working conditions. We will report any announced delays in scheduled opening dates here on our blog and also on our Twitter page.
The Walker Sisters’ Home in Little Greenbrier
Thursday, February 11th, 2010With planned closures of many popular areas in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park due to much need road repairs, alternate sightseeing destinations will be required. Visitors not minding some time spent hiking may like to visit the home of the Walker Sisters in Little Greenbrier.
The Walkers’ were the children of Civil War veteran John “Hairy John” Walker and Margaret Jane King who moved to Little Greenbrier in the late 1860s or early 1870s. They raised 11 children, four boys and seven girls. Six spinster girls, Margaret Jane, Mary Elizabeth (Polly), Martha Ann, Nancy Melinda, Louisa Susan, and Hettie Rebecca spent the majority of their lives living and farming in a primitive lifestyle at Little Greenbrier, thus the famed “Walker Sisters”.
The Walker house is a three room two-storied log house that was completed around 1859 and this primitive house, with neither plumbing nor electric, was lived in until 1964. The house and land were sold to the U.S. Government in 1941 for $4750 but the sisters were granted a lifetime lease until their deaths. The formation of the National Park and the sale of their property brought many visitors to the sisters, curious of their way of life. They were able to sell hand made items as souvenirs to supplement their incomes as they welcomed travelers onto their land. An article in the Saturday Evening Post in 1947 brought then national publicity. Louisa Susan was the last of the six spinster sisters to pass, as she died in 1964.
The 4.2 mile round trip hike to the cabin is considered an easy to moderate ranking by most hikers. Beginning at Metcalf Bottoms picnic area off the Little River Rd, take the Metcalf Bottoms Trail (approximately 7/10 of a mile) to the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse. This one room schoolhouse still has blackboard and desks from when it was last used in the 1930s. On the hillside above the school house is a small local cemetery. One may also drive, conditions permitting, to the Little Greenbrier School via a one lane gravel road, cross the bridge at Metcalf Bottoms picnic area and the road will be about ½ mile on your right.
Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse
To continue to the Walker Sisters’ home take the Little Brier Gap Trail from the parking area at the Little Greenbrier School. This is considered a mile hike but is probably closer to a mile and a half.
Walker Sisters' Cabin
20th Annual Wilderness Wildlife Week
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010Pigeon Forge will host its annual Wilderness Wildlife Week at Music Road Hotel & Convention Center Jan. 9-16, 2010. The event is a series of activities to connect visitors with the great outdoors.
More than 175 seminars, lectures and workshops are schedule with both national and regional speakers and lecturers. Many local people, whose ancestors settled in area before the formation of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, will share parts of their family history of the region. Daily hikes and field trips are planned through out the week with hiker ratings ranging from easy to moderate. Also planned is a photo contest with six divisions, with cash awarded to top three winners in each division.
Clingmans Dome Road to Close for Season
Monday, November 30th, 2009The Clingmans Dome Road will close Dec. 1 for the season as the park begins operating under its winter schedule. When the road reopens in spring, visitors will find the road repaved and new restrooms.
The Roaring Fork Motor Trail is also scheduled to close in December for repaving; the exact date has not been announced.
For further road closures in the National Park, you may visit their web site.
Tremont’s Annual Fall Hike
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont’s fall hike to Rich Mountain will be held this Saturday at 9AM. The 7.5 mile hike is considered moderately difficult and will climb 1766 feet up the side of Rich Mountain with views of Cades Cove. On the way down hikers will stop at the John Oliver Cabin for exploring.
Cost is $15 per hiker and one should bring food and water along for the hike. To register for the hike call 865-448-6709 or email to: mail@gsmit.org.
The hike is one of many organized yearly by the Legacy of Tremont, a group of volunteers who help bring public awareness and support to Tremont. The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is a nonprofit organization providing experiences through residential educational programs.
Fall Foliage in Cades Cove
Thursday, October 29th, 2009The fall color is currently at its peek in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains but will not last long. Yesterday a park volunteer stated that this was the most vibrant colors he could remember; as he concurred with the comments I made on Tuesday evening here on the blog about this years fall colors.
Traffic is currently heavy on the loop road but well worth the time. Even the drive just getting to Cades Cove is colorful whether one travels the Little River Road from Gatlinburg, Wears Valley Rd. from Pigeon Forge, or Hwy 321 from Maryville.
Taken from the Loop Rd in Cades Cove on 10/28/2009
Taken just outside the entrance to Cades Cove on 10/28/2009
This Weeks Fall Foliage Update
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009Today’s photos from the Campbell Overlook show the Great Smoky Mountains at peak color in the lower elevations even though these pictures were taken with overcast skies in between rain showers. With the rain expected to move out of the area overnight and with little wind to take the leaves down, the colors should be excellent through the weekend.
When a person sees something everyday, it becomes the norm and many times it is overlooked or taken for granted. Having lived in this area the last eleven years, I can not remember seeing the vivid yellows, oranges and reds we are currently seeing. For many years the park service has said that we need rain through out the year to produce the vibrant colors, and this year has been very wet.
If one has not had the opportunity to view the fall colors in this region, this is an exceptional year to take the time and visit. With the upcoming weekend being one of the slower of the fall season, The Resort at Governors Crossing has great rates for a fall foliage getaway.
Fall Foliage at Campbell Overlook 10/27/09
Fall Foliage at Campbell Overlook 10/27/09
Fall Foliage from the Gatlinburg bypass 10/27/09
Fall Foliage from Cades Cove
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009Having spent part of the day yesterday in Cades Cove, we decided to add this photo showing the autumn color change in the Great Smoky Mountains. This westward facing photo was taken in the vicinity of the Carter Shields cabin. It seems like one can almost see a change in the color of the leaves on a daily basis now.
Fall Foliage Cades Cove 10/21/2009
