February 9, 2012
Weather-related road and facility closures may change throughout the day. For updated road and weather information please call (865) 436-1200. Once you hear a voice, dial extension 631 for road information or extension 630 for a weather forecast.
. Updates are available for Newfound Gap Road (US-441), Little River Road, Laurel Creek Road, and Cades Cove Loop Road.
This webpage is updated 3-4 times a week. For the most current report, please call the number listed above or follow SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter.
Roads and Facilities
Seasonal Closures
For information about seasonal closures during the winter months, please see:
Seasonal Road Closures
Seasonal Facility Closures
Temporary Closures
• US-441 (Newfound Gap Road) is subject to closure at night if water on the road surface freezes as temperature drops.
• Blue Ridge Parkway from US-441 to Soco Gap (US-19) closed due to bridge work. For additional information about the Parkway, please visit http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm
Construction Closures
• Foothills Parkway (unfinished section) - the entire unfinished section between Walland and Wears Valley is now closed to all public use until 2015.
Backcountry Facilities
For current backcountry trail and campsite information call (865) 436-1297 or (865) 436-1231. Please note these numbers are for backcountry trail and campsite information only.
Bear Warnings - areas where bears are active. Please read
What Do I Do If I See A Bear? for important safety information about bears.
• Laurel Falls Trail
• Backcountry Campsite 61
Backcountry Areas Closed
• Backcountry Campsites 3, 11 closed due to tornado damage
• Beard Cane Trail closed due to tornado damage
• Hatcher Mountain Trail North of its intersection with Little Bottoms Trail closed due to tornado damage
• Gunter Fork Trail closed due to landslides
Trail Cautions
Please note that the park's backcountry is managed as a natural area where the forces of nature determine trail conditions. The following list includes some conditions that the park is currently aware of. However, hikers may encounter trail conditions not listed below that require caution. Be prepared for swollen streams, bridge washouts, downed trees, and trail erosion when hiking in the park's backcountry.
• Caldwell Fork Trail - several footbridges along the trail are damaged. Hikers wishing to use the trail will need to ford the creek.
• Trails throughout the park, especially those on the western end, have numerous downed trees due to severe wind storms. Please see the list of closed trails above. Other trails may have areas that are difficult to negotiate due to downed trees.
• Boat shuttles to and from Hazel Creek when lake levels are low are from the Ollie Cove Trailhead on the Hazel Creek embayment. Ask the shuttle service about this when making a reservation to be dropped or picked up. This is due to a bridge that is out of service on Hazel Creek and adds about 1/2 mile to the hike. Ollie Cove Trail is new - trail signs are in place to direct you from the Hazel Creek Trail and Lakeshore Trail intersection to Ollie Cove Trail that is one mile east on Lakeshore Trail from Hazel Creek.
Cave and Mine Shaft Closure
Entry into all caves and mine shafts is prohibited due to concerns about the spread of white nose syndrome among bats. more
