Foothills Parkway Construction begins in Wears Valley Tennessee and Closes Road to Hikers

One of the Great Smoky Mountains national parks best kept secret - the abandoned part of the Foothills Parkway in Wears Valley will be closed to hikers, bikers and horseback riders starting this Monday September 22nd so that construction which started in the 1970s can commence.

Though not a conventional hiking trail, this was one of the best places to hike in land area under the management of the national park service in the Smokies. This 5 mile asphalt road was virtual unused and provided excellent access without the hassle of traffic for handicapped persons, personals walking their dogs, riding bikes, riding horses or just taking in some of the most stunning overlooks accessible by walking on pavement.

After the first 15 minutes of walking into the abandoned area of the Foothills Parkway, traffic noise from Wears Valley Road (321) disappears and the sound of birds and rustling leaves in the wind is all that you can hear as you walk the 5 miles up the gentle incline.

Both sides of this section of the Foothills Parkway are lined by tall trees except for when you cross the bridges offering hikers spectacular views looking out into Wears Valley below and out to the towering mountain range in the Great Smoky mountains national park in the distance.

Well all good things must come to an end. Presently this part of the Foothills Parkway was supposed to run from Wears Valley to Walland and construction which started in the 70s had to stop as funding ran out.

In the mid 1980s funding was available so the Foothills Parkway construction began again, this time there was one project from Wears Valley west toward Walland and the other from Walland east to Wears Valley.

Less than 10 years later both projects had to be put on hold leaving a 1.6 mile "Missing Link" section uncompleted because of erosion problems and numerous slides.

Construction on the Foothills Parkway began again 1998 and by 2008 3 bridges spanning a total of 1,675 feet were completed on the Walland end of the "Missing Link".

Over the next 8 months the Hinkle Construction Corporation Inc. of Lexington Kentucky has been awarded a $3,783,268 contract with the Federal Highway Administration to construct 1,200 feet of new roadway which will run westward from the end of the partly-finished Parkway segment off US 321 in Wears Valley.

The Foothills Parkway construction contract calls for repairing damage to an overpass that carries the partly-completed Parkway over Happy Valley Road and the construction of a reinforced earth section of fill across a shallow ravine.

Officials from the Federal Highway Administration and the Great Smoky Mountains national park are expecting to be able to award a contract to construct another 1,800 feet of Parkway to extend east from the 3 new bridges on the Walland end of the "Missing Link" sometime in the fall of 2009.

Even though this section of the Foothills parkway is closed to recreational use, the other 9 mile-long section of partly finished Foothills Parkway from US 321 in Walland to the "Missing Link" will remain open.

Gas running low and stations price gouging running high in the Smokies due to hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike may be almost 1,000 miles away but drivers in the Smokies are getting pounded by the storm as well with price gouging and gas shortages throughout Tennessee and North Carolina.

Reports started coming in yesterday of gas shortages and price increases in the Asheville area, but these reports of drivers finding it hard to find gas or complaining about increases of 50 cents or more a gallon within minutes.

The highest price we have heard of so far in Pigeon Forge was $4.69 a gallon - astonishing considering it as $3.42 gallon a week ago.

There will be a huge influx of drivers coming into Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Gatlinburg to take park of the Rod Run. Lets' hope they are all gassed up before they get here.

Snow falling in NC side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Snow is now falling on the NC side of the Great Smoky Mountains and Newfound Gap Road (US 441( and although the road is now clear expect it to close today.

Snow fall is quickly spreading on the Tennessee side and up to 4 inches of accumulation is expected and bitter cold weather predicted for the next few days can keep snow and ice in upper elevations for days.

Music Graces Cades Cove in Tennessee

April 28th at 8 pm Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the place to be thanks to the Great Smoky Mountains Association to see singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Ellie Grace perform.

This Smoky Mountains music performance is not just for Ellie Grace to perform her compelling mix of music and dance; the audience should bring two soup spoons per person so that you can enjoy her hands-on demonstration and you can join along with her. The audience is also invited to bring their tapping shoes and their stringed instruments to join her performance for a jam session.

According to Cades Cove Supervisory Park Ranger Mike Maslona "Grace's resume is impressive and her experiences have led her to performances at prestigious venues including the Lincoln Center in New York City. Grace has over 20 years of experience performing. She plays the mandolin, fiddle, and guitar and has recorded three albums with The Grace Family. She has recently joined The Dirk Powell Band on several national and international tours. Dirk Powell has an esteemed reputation as one of his generation's most highly regarded traditional American musicians and is widely known for creating and performing music for the movie Cold Mountain,"

Music and fun in the Smokies in the most beautiful valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Cades Cove - you couldn't get a better Saturday night!