Great Smoky Mountains National park cliff repair causes road closures and detours.

Little River Road on the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains national park connecting Gatlinburg Tennessee with Elkmont, Metcalf Bottoms, and Townsend Wye will be reduced to shortly to 1 lane and then have a section closed while rehabilitate construction will take place to Indian Head Rock cliff.

This construction and closure will be effecting through drivers attempting to traverse the park to get to Cades Cove and the Tremont sections of the national park whose best option would be to take 321 and avoid the whole mess.

The Indian Head Rock Cliff which is located between Metcalf Bottoms and the Townsend Wye was damaged during the heavy storm in October of 2006 that ripped through the park destroying much in its path.

Along with blowing down hundreds of large trees this storm damaged the Indian Head Rock Cliff rock face triggering a landslide which dumped debris and large boulders onto the Little River Road.

On April 3, 2008 the Great Smoky Mountains national park awarded a $386,360 contract to Rembco Geotechnical Contractors of Knoxville Tennessee to stabilize the rock face by using polyurethane resin to fill in the large cracks along with using rock dowels based upon recommendations by the Federal Highway Administration geological engineers.

As a result of the rehabilitation of the Indian Head Rock Cliff, drivers will find that the Little River Road lane and complete closures from May 5th to May 19th with a welcome break on Mothers Day weekend May 9-11 when no construction work will be conducted and Little River Road will be fully operational.

The following schedule is subject top change if the weather or if geologic rehabilitation does not go as planned:

• May 5th through May 8th. Traffic on effected area (see map) will be reduced to 1 lane controlled by flaggers. Drivers can expect delays.


• May 9th through May 11th. No construction. Both lanes on Little River Road will be open and there will be no delays.


• May 12th through May 19th. Both lanes of effected area (see map) will be closed to all traffic.
  
  Eastbound Detour
  Traffic headed eastbound from Cades Cove or Tremont must exit to the Townsend Wye and Detour via 321. Passenger cars and vans may reenter park at Wear Cove Entrance in order to get back onto eastbound Little River Road at Metcalf Bottoms to continue eastward. Larger Vehicles must reenter park Via the Spur.
  
  West Bound Detour
  Divers of passenger cars and vans coming from Gatlinburg or Elmont wishing to go west to Cades Cove or Tremont section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park must exit Little River Road at Metcalf Bottoms Picnic area and exit park at the Wears Cove entrance and reenter the park at the Townsend Wye. Larger vehicles must exit park at the spur and take 441 and then 321 to the Townsend Wye.
  
  During May 12th through May 19th Both pedestrians and cyclists will be allowed to go from Metcalf bottoms to the sinks. Little River Road from the Townsend Wye east is closed to all pedestrians and cyclists.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Junior Ranger Day

Saturday April 26th marks the 2nd annual Junior Ranger day special activities for kids to be held in all 3 Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitor centers from 11 am to 2 pm.

Children and their parents can join in fun filled and education activities such as searching for wildflowers and salamanders, toy making, weaving, even making dinner bells at a blacksmith shop.

According to Great Smoky Mountains national park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson "National Junior Ranger Day provides a great opportunity for children and families to spend time together learning about the Park that offers an array of educational experiences and recreational opportunities right in their own backyard." He went on to say "We hope that our local residents will take advantage of this program to interact with our staff and the resources, and, at the same time, plan a day doing activities in the Park."

The visitor centers in the Great Smoky Mountains national park where the junior ranger programs are taking place are:

• The Sugarlands Visitor Center near downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee
• The Cades Cove's Cable Mill Visitor Center at the back end of the Cades Cove 11 mile loop road near Townsend, Tennessee.
• The Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, North Carolina

Special age appropriate Junior Ranger booklets which were produced in cooperation with Great Smoky Mountains Association can be purchased for $2.50 each at park visitor centers and are available for ages 5- 6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12.

Cades Cove partially closed to cars, Hikers and Bikers

The tremendously popular Cades Cove 11 mile loop in the Great Smoky Mountains national park will be partially closed from April 28th until May 1st until 10:00 am each day to drives, Cades Cove bikers and hikers while construction will take place.

The national park service will be undertaking 3 projects at the same time, repairing the drainage as well as resurfacing the road at the Abrams Creek Trail at the far end of Cades Cove as well as working on the bridge that crosses Abrams Creek.

Both Sparks Lane and Hyatt Lane will also be closed during this construction period and will reopen at around 10:00 am.

This is not yet the project we are all waiting for - a complete repair and resurfacing of the entire Cades Cove 11 mile loop which is badly in need of repair.

This winter we observed surveyors already measuring the Cades Cove 11 mile loop as well as checking drainage areas. I was advised this week that repairs are expected to get underway next year to the entire road surface.

Next weeks closures will allow only hikers and bikers to hike and bike back and forth on a 5-mile portion of the road between the Cades Cove Loop Road entrance and the construction site.

Hikers will not be allowed past the bridge or on the south end of the loop road so that they will not hinder large construction vehicles or slow down work due to safety concerns.

That smoke coming from Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains Park is meant to be!

It looks as though the weather will hold up for today's prescribed burn in the NW corner of Cades Cove in the Tennessee section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Because of this controlled burn expecting to encompass 1,800 acres, the national park service is going to close several hiking trails for at least a few days to make sure that after the burn is complete snags (trees and branches hug up in other trees and branches) and hot spots (areas that might reignite again) will no longer endanger hikers.

Smoke from the fire in Cades Cove will affect the Cades Cove Valley as well as being visible from Townsend, US129, Walland and Happy Valley. I personally suggest that today is not the day to take a hike or tour in Cades Cove as I put off my hiking trip to the Cades Cove until this Sunday.

The prescribed burn has been ordered by the national park service to burn down some of the dead brush so that any wildfires which may occur will not be as unmanageable as well as allowing yellow pine trees to flourish which would naturally benefit from wild fires.

The fire will be set by and managed by between 25 to 30 firefighters using drip torches to ignite the dead brush and trees. The boundaries of where the fire is meant to be contained will be along the following hiking trails and creek beds:
Southern boundary: Cooper Road Trail
Western boundary: Beard Cane Trail
Northern and Eastern sides: Hesse Creek/Bark Camp

The following hiking areas and backcountry campsites will be closed until advised:

• Cooper Road Trail from the junction with Wet Bottom Trail
• Cooper Road Trail to the junction with Ace Gap Trail
• Cooper Road Trail to the junction Cane Creek Trail
• Hatcher Mountain Trail from the junction with Cooper Road Trail to the junction with Little Bottoms Trail
• Beard Cane Trail from the junction
• Ace Gap Trail from Beard Cane Trail junction to backcountry campsite 7
• Backcountry Campsite 3
• Backcountry Campsite 11

Chimney Rock State Park receives $4.5M for land acquisition.

Thanks to the NC Natural Heritage Trust Fund, the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation will be able to acquire another 212 acres of land to add to the Chimney Rock State Park.

Chimney Rock state park which is still in development was authorized for creation in 2005 and started with almost 1,000 acres of what was previously a private park purchased by the state of North Carolina for approximately $24 million.

This new land to be added to the park is now privately owned and will include Bottomless Pools near Lake Lure.

Clingmans dome road reopened inteh GSMNP

Clingmans Dome road in the Great Smoky Mountains national park just reopened and visitors to Clingmans dome will be able to see spectacular views with an almost perfect blue sky with some mountain peaks dusted with snow.

Falling temperatures tonight may cause this road to close again.

Clingmans Dome Road in the Great Smoky Mountains nation park is Closed

The road to Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains national park remains closed due to snow and ice.

This road is normally closed during the winter and just opened April 1st.

Newly opened Newfound Gap Road is free of ice but drivers must remain cautious as there is still plenty of slush on the road which may refreeze tonight.

Newfound Gap Road has just reopened in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Snow and ice have Newfound Gap Road (US 441) which runs through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park closed from Cherokee North Carolina to Gatlinburg Tennessee to all traffic.

It is possible that this road will close latter today if the roads refreeze.

I- 40 East Bound reopend to traffic in all lanes.

Now that the overturned tractor trailer is cleared all lanes are now open on I-40 and traffic is starting to flow.

Music of the Mountains this Saturday in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Mountains and music come together this weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the forth annual "Music of the Mountains" festival on Saturday, March 29 from 10 am - 5 pm at the Park's Sugarlands Visitor Center next to the Gatlinburg Tennessee national park entrance.

Although there will be musical programs throughout the day at the Sugarlands Visitor center that to the park service, the City of Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains Association, it is suggested that you get there early as seating is limited to the capacity of the indoor theater which is only 160 persons.

7 Free concerts will be performed in the theater:

• 10:00 am Tony Thomas: Introduction to old-time banjo and fiddle tunes
• 11:00 am The Lost Mill String Band: Claw-hammer banjo and acoustic bass played by Joan and Jerry Paul
• 12 Noon Matt Morelock and Brian Vollmer: Old-time songs using claw-hammer banjo and fiddle
• 1:00 pm Matt Morelock and Brian Vollmer: Repeat performance
• 2:00 pm Bobby Fulcher: Appalachian and Cumberland Mountains songs and tunes played with the claw-hammer banjo and guitar
• 3:00 pm Boogertown Gap: Traditional tunes and songs played with claw -hammer banjo and guitar performed by Barber and Keith Watson
• 4:00 pm Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform Appalachia and the Civil War period Folk songs, ballads, and tunes

For performances held in the evening at the WL Mills Conference Center in Gatlinburg, Tennessee featuring Jimbo Whaley and Friends you must purchase tickets which are $20.00 online or $25 at the door. Doors open at 6:00 pm and the performance begins at 7:00. Not only will you be in for a night of great music, all ticket holder will also receive a free CD of Jimbo Whaley's newest gospel recording, you will also have the chance to win the door prize and other giveaways during the concert.

According to said Kent Cave, North District Supervisory Park Ranger of the Great Smoky Mountains: "Music of the Mountains" is a celebration of musical traditions of the southern Appalachian Mountains, showcasing the evolution of mountain music over time. The festival is one of several special events the Park has developed to tell the story of the people who lived here prior to the Park's establishment in 1934. Musical expression was and still is often a part of daily life in the southern mountains, and mountain music is tied to Smokies history like no other part of our culture".

According to me: "You will never be let down with any of these performances in the park and that's to Sevierville local legend Ray Ball, I myself drive around with a Jimbo Whaley CD in may car and not only love the local flavor of his music but the outstanding musical talent as well."

Don't miss these performances of you are in town!

I 40 East blocked in Cocke County Tennessee

An overturned truck at mile marker 445 in Cocke County Tennessee has all lanes of I-40 blocked and will stay so for at least another hour according to officials at the scene near the NC border.

The driver of the ill fated truck was airlifted by Lifestar to a nearby hospital.

Cave Rescue in Great Smoky Mountains National Park brings unneeded attention to environmentally sensitive area.

While I personally find the Whiteoak Sinks in the Great Smoky Mountains national park one of the most interesting areas of the park, I am dismayed by how many people now trample through this unique area with its unique geological and biological characteristics.

Not only are some of these unique plants and animals in the Whiteoak Sinks in danger with this unwelcome intrusion, people who explore this area by climbing on the rock faces or even taking the extremely steep and dangerous trail down by rainbow cave to the sinks floor are also putting themselves at great risk.

Rainbow Cave in Whiteoak Sinks

Last weeks rescue of 4 amateur spelunkers by the national park service in Rainbow Cave in Whiteoak Sinks brought major attention to an area of the park we at Your Smokies really mention in order to keep visitors to a minimum to lower the impact to the area.

One of the most common questions I am asked is: "What cave do the bears hibernate in during the winter in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?"

Beside a small cave in Cades Cove off of the beaten path (Gregory Cave), the only other caves in the national park are located in the Whiteoak Sinks so no - the black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park do not hibernate in caves!

Blowhole cave located in Whiteoak Sinks plays host to the endangered Indiana Bats and is blocked by iron bars so no one could enter the cave to disturb the hibernating bats.

Rainbow cave is by far the most impressive cave from the outside and is at the far south end of the Sinks where a small waterfall unusually flows year round into the mouth of the cave. The flowing water into the limestone base is part of the geophysical action as to what has formed the cave.

Cave exploration can be dangerous and difficult and to enter rainbow cave you have to enter the main section via small holes at the base of the waterfall which always wet and very cold.

Further into this cave there is plenty of running water which keeps the temperature quite cold year round and spelunkers can easily succumb to exhaustion and hypothermia.

The four individuals who were rescued from the cave were young and fairly inexperienced in cave exploration and were poorly equipped. Wisely they advised someone of where they were going, but foolishly the lacked proper equipment as well the proper clothing for such an environment.

Once these amateurs realized that they were to cold and tired to climb back up the last 50 foot decent, they were smart enough to go deeper into a warmer area of the cave where they huddled together for warmth.

Fortunately the park service was called in time in order to be able to extract them from the cave prior them suffering any serious injury or hypothermia.

The park service does have rangers that have some caving experience and the Knox County Rescue Squads experienced Cave Rescue Team is also able to assist when a cave rescue is required in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Another cave in the Whiteoak Sinks requires a permit form the national park service.

2 Wears Valley cabins destroyed and 2 damaged by a brush fire

Despite firefighters best efforts a fast moving brush fire in the Mountain Preserve community of Wears Valley near Pigeon Forge Tennessee end up destroying 2 log cabins yesterday as wall as damaging 2 more neighboring cabins.

Both high winds and a lack of running water hampered the firefighters in their fight against the blaze.

As with many communities in the mountains because of poor planning there were no fire hydrants in the area and although firefighters had to struggle getting the blaze under control by tapping pools and storage tanks, luckily no one was injured.

As a resident of a mountain community in the Smoky Mountains myself, I am deeply bothered that my community does not have fire hydrants. Since I am halfway up the mountains and more than 1 mile from the closest source of city water, the prospect of a brush fire causes great concern with my neighbors and me.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation

Weather related road closures in the Great Smoky Mountains national park

The national park service still has roads closed in the Great Smoky Mountains national park due to winter conditions some of which will take days to reopen.

While most roads in the Smoky Mountains are open in North Carolina, Newfound Gap Road (US 441) which connects Cherokee NC to Gatlinburg TN is now closed to all traffic.

The following roads are also closed in the national park: The Roaring Fork Nature trail in Gatlinburg, and in the Cades Cove area the following unimproved roads are closed Parsons Branch Road, Forge Creek Road and Sparks Lane.

Cold weather is predicted to continue throughout the day in the Smoky Mountains - it's snowing now in areas in Bryson City North Carolina, it may take until tomorrow warming weather for some roads to be opened back up. For roads such as Forge Creek which is closed due to muddy conditions it may take a few days until all roads will be reopened.

The national park service is advising drivers that the Spur connecting Pigeon Forge with Gatlinburg Tennessee still has active ongoing construction and that drivers must obey posted speed limits as there have been numerous accidents in the construction zones.

Parsons Branch Road reopening in Cades Cove Delayed

Parsons Branch Road located off of Forge Creek Road in the far western section of the Cades Cove 11 mile loop road will not be opening for the season on time due to washouts and fallen trees from this past week's stormy weather.

This recently renovated unimproved roads reopening last year was highly anticipated as it was closed for years after a storm created massive damage due to flooding requiring extensive repairs which included better drainage and vegetation cutbacks.

Parsons Branch is an 8 mile one way gravel road which takes you along stream beds, and woods and hollows with a few large growth trees visible from the road. This road passes by one the trailheads leading to Gregory Bald and eventually takes you to 129 where you can go to Fontana North Carolina or Maryville Tennessee.

Parsons branch road is now slated by the national park service to reopen on Tuesday March 11th and in my opinion is one of the best unimproved roads to drive on and experience the Smokies.

Few roads reopen in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after winter storm

Most major roads such as the Newfound Gap Road - US 441 in the Great Smoky Mountains national park still remain closed due to snow and ice, but a few roads have been opened to traffic.

The Spur connecting Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge still remains open and now the Gatlinburg bypass is also open to drivers.

On the West end of the national park on the Tennessee side divers can now drive from Townsend to Cades Cove and around the 11 mile loop road as Laurel Creek Road between the Townsend Wye and the Cades Cove loop road as well as the Cades Cove Loop Road have just been reopened.

Tremont Road just west of the Wye off of Laurel Creek Road and the Western Foothills Parkway just outside Townsend has also opened.

As we learn of more roads that open in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park we will post updated reports.

Most roads closed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park due to winter storm

Old man winter blew in hard and with high elevations in the Great Smoky Mountains National park measuring as mush as 17 inches of new snow accumulation the major roads in the national park are all closed including Newfound Gap Road (us 441) a major through road connecting Cherokee North Carolina and Gatlinburg Tennessee.

The following roads are closed due to snow and ice the Great Smoky Mountains National Park:

• Newfound Gap Road (US 441) TN to NC
• Foothills Parkway East in Cocke County Cosby / Newport area
• Foothills Parkway West in Blount County west of Townsend
• Gatlinburg Bypass in TN
• Little River Road in TN
• Laurel Creek Road in TN west of the Tremont Road Junction
• Cades Cove Loop Road in TN
• Greenbrier Road TN
• Cataloochee Entrance Road NC
• Old Route 284 (Big Creek to Cataloochee)

Even though there was a minor accident on the spur connecting Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee as of now the road remains open. Driver who wish to use the Spur are cautioned that there are still slushy spots even though the road has been heavily salted and drivers should use extreme caution.

Best advice when there is accumulation on the roads is to only drive when absolutely necessary.

Many being sick in Knox County closes schools.

Knox County is now closing schools both Thursday and Friday due to that fact that more than 10% of the teachers in the system were out and there are not enough substitutes to make up the shortage.

Also canceled Thursday and Friday will be after school activities such as band practice and performances.

The following schools will also be closed Thursday and Friday: Claiborne County, Concord Christian, Monroe County and Union County.

Newfound Gap Road (US 441) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Has Reopened

Newfound Gap Road running through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has just reopened even though there are still a few patches of ice an snow on the roads.

Drivers are urged to use caution and it is possible that Newfound Gap Road may be closed again.

Newfound Gap Road US 441 in the Great Smoky Mountains National park is closed

The Great Smoky Mountains 2 lane road which connects Gatlinburg Tennessee with Cherokee North Carolina Newfound Gap Road (US 441) running through the Great Smoky Mountains national park is now closed due to ice and snow.

This beautiful steep winding road cuts right through the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains national park and is often closed in the winter due to ice and snow as the higher elevations tend to freeze quickly and make the road unsafe for travel.

Today weather forecasts for the Smoky Mountains call for freezing weather in upper elevations but the park service may be able to scrape enough snow ice of Newfound Gap Road and drop enough sand to make it safe for travel shortly. The predicted warming trend should make Newfound Gap Road safe for travel this weekend but watch Your Smokies News for the latest updates on road and weather conditions.