Aggressive black bear closes popular Cades Cove Hiking Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains national park has had a black bear problem for weeks in the back end of Cades Cove at the Abrams Falls Hiking Trail and has finally been forced to close the trail for visitor and the bear's safety.

The closure of the Abrams Falls Hiking Trail starts on the dirt road before the parking lot area so the Rabbit Creek hiking trail in Cades Cove is also affected.

There are other hiking trails with black bear problems in the Great Smoky Mountains national park which have warnings issued on them include: the Little River hiking trail, The lower portion of Trillium Gap trail near Grotto falls and the lower portion of Crooked Arm Ridge trail.

Great Smoky Mountains national park Black Bear Information

Local hiker seriously injured in the Great Smoky Mountain national park.

What should have been and beautiful relaxing fall day in the Great Smoky Mountains national park yesterday turned tragic for 25 year old Jeremy Frye of Sevier County on the Grotto Falls Trillium Gap Trail.

Unfortunately Jeremy decided the he should climb up and around on rocks around the Grotto falls which has a large pool and boulders beneath it.

Park visitors are advised that climbing on waterfalls or rocks is dangerous and forbidden because of some many who have been injured or killed engaging in this behavior.

I can't imagine what was going through Jeremy Frye's head and the pain he felt with his head and back injuries he sustained from a more than 30 foot fall waiting what must have been more than an hour and a half to have rangers carry him out the Mile and a half to the Grotto Falls Trailhead and into an ambulance to be shuttled to Gatlinburg City Hall where he was air lifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

All hiking trails and backcountry campsites open for Memorial Day in the Great Smoky Mountains national park

The national park service was able to open the Trillium Gap hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park which was closed due to a landslide as well as the Goshen Prong hiking trail and backcountry campsite which was closed due to tree blowdowns and the 2 trails Schoolhouse Gap and Turkey Pen Ridge which were closed due to aggressive black bear activity all in time for the for the Memorial Day Weekend.

With fantastic weather predicted for the weekend expect to see a lot of activity in the Great Smoky Mountains national park as well as enhanced traffic enforcement so enjoy the park but drive at the posted limits!

Landslide in Great Smoky Mountains National Park closes hiking trail to Mount Le Conte

The Great Smoky Mountains national park has received some much needed seasonal rain which triggered a landslide on the Trillium Gap Hiking trail to Mount Le Conte from the Bushy Mountain trailhead in the Roaring Fork area near Gatlinburg Tennessee.

This popular hiking trail is not only popular with hikers wishing to climb to the top of Mount Le Conte because of its relatively lower angle of elevation; it also is the main thoroughfare for Llamas which bring supplies weekly up to the Mount Le Conte Lodge.

We predicted considerable blow downs of tress and limbs in the park which turned out to come true so hikers and horseback riders in the Great Smoky Mountains national park can expect a large number of trails may have fresh downed trees requiring hikers to climb over or around them.

This week there have also been plenty of both small and large rocks that have fallen into the roadways. Drivers should use caution especially when driving in the early hours in the park before rocks have been cleaned off the road or at night when visibility is reduced.

It may take until sometime in June before the Trillium Gap hiking trail will reopen

GSMNP Closes Trillium Gap to Grotto Falls Hiking Trail Again

Reports from the Great Smoky Mountains national park keep coming in of widespread damage throughout the national park from damage sustained from this weekend's major wind rains and snow storms.

There are trees and large limbs down on roads and hiking trails throughout the park so drivers, hikers and people on horseback have to use extreme caution. Heavy rains and falling trees have also cause some small landslides with trees, branches, rocks and mud blocking some trails.

On the very popular Trillium Gap Trail located in the Roaring Fork area of the national park near Gatlinburg Tennessee which takes hikers to the Grotto Falls, a stone retaining wall collapsed.

Officials in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to closed the Trillium Gap Trail from the trailhead on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail to its junction with the Brushy Mountain Trail 2.7 miles away.

The officials are hoping that the repairs being made to the 25 foot damaged section located on extremely steep side slope just below Grotto Falls will be repaired this week so that the hiking trail can be reopened this Friday, April 20th. The repair work is requiring the use of jack hammers that will be used to install steel reinforcing rods into the bedrock.

This is one of the 2 popular trails to a waterfall in the Roaring fork area of the park and at only a 3 miles round trip is a more moderate hike than the Rainbow Falls trail which will remain open.