Last Chance to Hike or Bike Cades Cove without Traffic until Repaving is finished in 2010

I love hiking and driving in Cades Cove. Problem is millions have as well for the past 39 years leading to the complete degradation of the Cades Cove Loop Road which will be broken up and repaved next year so this Wednesday is your last chance to hike the road without traffic until at least late May.

Cades Cove Loop road is closed to automobile traffic until 10 am on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from spring until late September so that pedestrians and bicyclists can enjoy this spectacular place without the noise and annoyance of car and motorcycle traffic.

Starting on March of 2010 Cades Cove loop Road will be closed to all traffic - cars, bikes and all pedestrians - in order for the roadway to be broken up and pulverized, new concrete poured and then the road will be surfaces with asphalt. While the Great Smoky Mountains national park is hopeful that the job will be completed by Memorial Day although weather will determine how fast this job can be completed.

The new Cades Cove Loop Road will not be widened and a total of 12 pull offs were proposed by the park. Rumors are floating around that the road will be made harder to park alongside of except at designated pull offs.

Hiking or biking in Cades Cove in the morning is just such a magical time. Expect cool comfortably temperatures, a hint of mist in the year, easy wildlife sighting of turkey, deer, bear and maybe even a coyote and the magical lighting that photographers refer to as "the golden hour".

I particularity like walking the 11 miles of the Cades Cove Loop road rather than riding a bike. It is just so much more intimate to be walking quietly along this road as the beauty of the cove and its inhabitants unfolds before you at every twist and turn of this historic road.

From wide vistas of meadows framed by mountains to walking through tunnels of trees that envelop you and block out the sun, every footstep is in another chance for you to intimately experience adventure and beauty.

Sunrise will be at 7:31 am tomorrow morning and it takes around 3-1/2 hours to hike the loop quickly so I count on 4 to 4-1/2 hours to take my time and take photographs and "smell the roses" along the way.

Cars are allowed to drive into the Cades Cove Loop at 10 am and won't reach the back end of the loop until around 10:30 - 10:45. Hiker and bikers need to park at the orientation shelter at the beginning of the Cades Cove Loop until the parking area fills at which time you will be directed to park near the Cades Cove Riding Stables.

I will be leaving at 6:45 - 7 am from the orientation shelter to I will be already be past the John Oliver cabin past sunrise. Anyone looking to join me is welcome and should comment here or twitter me their intentions.

Related Smokies News Stories:

• Cades Cove Paving Options for 2010 presented by the Great Smoky Mountains national park
• Cades Cove Loop Road Public Briefing on Paving

Newfound Gap Road 18 month repaving project to start March 16th

The Great Smoky Mountains national park is about to start repaving a stretch of just under 7 miles of the GSMNP Newfound Gap road from the Cherokee North Carolina entrance area north to the Collins Creek Picnic Area.

This 18 month long project will start March 16th and it will cause periodic lane closures until it has been completed some time in September of 2010. If the last repaving work performed on Newfound Gap Road is any indication of how this project will go, serious traffic interruptions especially during peak visitation will not be a problem. Park directives to the contractor APAC Atlantic Inc dictate that single lane closures can not cause more than a 10 minute delay any single work site.

While Newfound Gap Road is not nearly in as bad a shape as the soon to be repaved Cades Cove Loop Road, this section of US 441 has not been repaved since 1983. The extensive work will include removal of the old pavement and widening and realignment of the road at the entrance to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center which will also undergo construction as the new Oconaluftee Visitor Center will be built.

• March 16 2009 - June 15 2009 during the week lane-closures can take place around the clock but will not be allowed between 8 am - 10 pm on weekends*, holidays, or during April 10 through April 19 (Easter Week).
  
  *Weekends are defined as noon on Friday through 8 am on Monday


• June 15, 2009 - August 15, 2009 Between 8 am to 9 pm no closures will be permitted


• August 16, 2009 - June 15, 2010** Daytime lane closures allowed (except on weekends and holidays).
  
  ** No work of any kind will be permitted during October 2009, Thanksgiving 2009 and the following day, or from December 23 2009 through January 2 2010.

Repaving and construction to begin again on the Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Spur Road

Construction on the Spur - a section of the Foothills Parkway connecting the Great Smoky Mountains national park, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge will begin again this Monday as the Rod Run and the increased traffic as a result of it will be gone.

The construction work on the Spur will cause single land closures during the week until at least October 8th. During this time a final layer of pavement which is because of its special high performance nature will improve the safety of the road during wet weather.

Rumble strips which are groves in the pavement to let drivers know they are leaving the road shoulder will also be installed at this time.

The spur is not only a major thoroughfare between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and is a beautiful road. The work that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Service has down to the Spur included tunnel repair and lighting work and improved drainage has been exceptional. Let's hope this is all done before peak leaf season.