Little River Road closed as Great Smoky Mountains national park searches for drowning victim

A section of Little River Road in the Great Smoky Mountains national park will be partially closed Saturday as the park service commences searching for the bodies of a woman who entered Little River and was swept away while refusing to allow a ranger rescue her.

While a park ranger was on patrol along the Little River he observed a white female approximately in her 30's sitting on a rock at the edge of the river. Since her behavior was unusual the ranger decided to check on her at which time she stood up and jumped into the raging river swollen and flooded from earlier today's heavy rains.

The Great Smoky Mountains national park ranger followed her as she was swept down the river and attempted to rescue her by throwing her a life line and float which she picked up and purposely tossed aside.

Little River Road was closed today from the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic area to the Townsend Wye as park rangers and first responders from Gatlinburg's Rescue Squad and Rural Metro Ambulance swarmed the area searching in vain for the women.

Rangers during daylight searched all along the riverbanks of the Little River which was running chocolate brown and loaded with debris. They also set up a vantage point by an area called the Sinks further down river from where the lady entered the water in an attempt to intercept the victim if she floated by.

Today's heavy rains also flooded Cades Cove along Sparks Lane, Hyatt Lane as some other stream crossing prompting the park service to Close Cades Cove Loop Road creating a traffic nightmare at the Townsend Wye.

While working traffic management at the Townsend Wye with 2 other volunteers in the park our park vehicle was struck by a pickup truck transporting kayaks. No injuries were sustained although the back door was taken off the park service's jeep Cherokee used by Volunteers in Cades Cove.

Because Cades Cove Loop Road was closed tonight's very popular 3 mile night hike in Cades Cove with Ranger Mike which crosses a stream on Spark Lane that is to rough to cross today was canceled leading to many disappointed park visitors.

Cades Cove may reopen tomorrow if flood water subside enough.

Despite the extremely flooded conditions of Little River the kayakers pictured below were still out in force even past sunset. Expect the Great Smoky Mountains national park to have many kayakers and extreme tubers enjoy the flooded Little River tomorrow and throughout the weekend.

20 year old hiker Drowns in the Great Smoky Mountains national park

The normally quiet Sunday evening in the Great Smoky Mountains national park was shattered with the sound of sirens from park rangers racing to the Abrams Falls Hiking trail in the back end of Cades Cove. The last vehicle racing to the scene was a park ranger's pick-up truck with a gurney and a ladder in the bed.

Few details have been released other than a 20 year old male has drowned presumable just under the Abrams Falls which is swollen with today's rain. Because of the darkness and the dangerous conditions, the body will have to wait to be retrieved by divers tomorrow at which time the name and hometown of the drowning victims will be released.

Earlier today it was reported that 2 young women were jumping off the falls into the pool underneath. Abrams Falls is the highest volume waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and the pool beneath has swift currents, rocks, branches and logs that entangle swimmers in its 25 foot depth.

The Abrams Falls hiking trail has seen numerous serious falling accidents as well as downing deaths and has been ranked as one of the top 10 most dangerous hiking trails in all national parks.