• Approximately 1,500 black bears live in the national park.

    Great Smoky Mountains

    National Park NC,TN

Newfound Gap Road Construction Environmental Assessment

The National Park Service, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, has prepared an Environmental Assessment for the Phase II portion of the Rehabilitation of Newfound Gap Road project.

Phase I of the project involves the rehabilitation of a 10.5-mile section of Newfound Gap Road from the Newfound Gap Parking Area south to just north of the Collins Creek Picnic Area.

Phase II of the project proposes to rehabilitate 6.5 miles of Newfound Gap Road from the Collins Creek Picnic Area to the park boundary with Cherokee, North Carolina. Scheduled work includes roadway paving, pull-out improvements, potential intersection improvements and miscellaneous work. The Newfound Gap Road Environmental Assessment was prepared to study the impacts of constructing left turn lanes at the Collins Creek, Smokemont Campground, Tow String Road, Park Circle Drive, Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Big Cove Connector Road (Saunooke Bridge Road) intersections.

Newfound Gap Road Environmental Assessment
Both a Word and a PDF version of this document are available.You will need a free version of Adobe Reader to access the PDF file. By clicking on the links below you will leave the National Park website and be connected to the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway Administration.
Word version
PDF version

Newfound Gap Road Environmental Assessment Newsletter (783 KB file size)
Because the proposed work of the project may potentially impact adjacent resources, an Environmental Assessment addressing the potential impacts of the proposed improvements was prepared. The Newfound Gap Road Environmental Assessment Newsletter discusses, in more detail, the process of developing the Environmental Assessment and opportunities interested parties have in commenting on the process. You will need a free version of Adobe Reader to access this file.

Weather Related Road Closings - phone (865) 436-1200
For current updates of weather related road closings in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park please call (865) 436-1200. Once you hear a voice, dial extension 631 for road information or extension 630 for a weather forecast. Please be aware that road openings/closings may change throughout the day. You may wish to write this number down if traveling to the area for handy reference for road and weather updates.

Did You Know?

Barn at the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

The barn at the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee Visitor Center is over 50 feet wide and 60 feet long. A modern 2,500 square foot home would fit in the upstairs loft of the barn and over 16,000 hand-split wooden shingles are required to roof it.