Weather Conditions and a Serious Accident Closes Some Major Great Smoky Mountains National Park Roads.

The Great Smoky Mountains national park is under a flood warning until 7 am tomorrow morning and it is the high waters associated with past days rain that closed Forge Creek Road and Sparks Lane in Cades Cove first along with the upper portion of Tremont Road.

Now a serious accident has caused rangers to closed Newfound Gap Road US441 for as of yet an undetermined time.

Additional Great Smoky Mountains national park road closures now include all of Cades Cove Loop, Road, Old State Road 284 between Big Creek and Cataloochee, and the Cataloochee entrance road.

Links: GSMNP Roads  Smoky Mountains Weather

Time for a picnic in the Great Smoky Mountains national Park

With the warming Smokies weather, the Great Smoky Mountains national park is about to open some of its picnic areas and starting its spring schedule. While some of the picnic areas such as Cades Cove, Metcalf Bottoms, Chimney Tops, Cosby, Greenbrier, Deep Creek, and Big Creek are open year round, others will be opening on a staggered schedule.

Friday March 9th will see the opening of the Collins Creek Picnic Area and on Sunday March 11th both Heintooga and Look Rock are scheduled to open. If you are looking to use the national parks largest pavilion located in Twin Creeks, you will have to wait until May 1st.

While there are 10 first come first served picnic areas in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, some picnic pavilions can be reserved online. The picnic areas with pavilions that can be reserved are located in Twin Creeks (fee range from $35-$75 depending on the number of people in your party), Collins Creek, Cosby, Deep Creek, and Metcalf Bottoms (all at $20 per pavilion) or Greenbrier (only $10).

To reserve a picnic pavilion on line visit www.Recreation.Gov.