Temporary Road and Facilities Closures

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Weather-related road and facility closures may change throughout the day.
For updated road and weather information please call [phone]. Once you hear a voice, press 1, then press 1 for road information or 2 for a weather forecast.

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Follow current road status updates on Twitter at SmokiesRoadsNPS or access from the internet using this link: https://twitter.com/smokiesroadsnps. Updates are available for Newfound Gap Road (US-441), Little River Road, Laurel Creek Road, and Cades Cove Loop Road.

Roads and Facilities

Temporary Closures and Construction Projects

• Vehicle-free access along the Cades Cove Loop Road each Wednesday will begin on Wednesday, May 5 through September 1, 2021.
• Cades Cove Loop Road will be closed to all vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists from September 7 through September 27, 2021 for paving work.
• Forge Creek Road is closed for bridge repair.
• Maintenance crews will implement temporary, single-lane closures, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., along the north and southbound Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge June 1 through June 10, 2021.
• Expect single-lane closures between Chimneys Picnic Area and Newfound Gap from Monday mornings through Fridays at Noon while contractors repave this section of Newfound Gap Road (Hwy 441). Please allow for extra time when traveling through the project area.

• Blue Ridge Parkway - for information about parkway closures, please call [phone] or visit the parkway's website at https://www.nps.gov/blri/index.htm.

Seasonal Closures
For information about seasonal closures, including Clingmans Dome, Rich Mountain Road, Parson Branch Road, and others during the winter months, please see:

• Seasonal Road Closures
• Seasonal Facility Closures

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Backcountry Facilities

For current backcountry trail and campsite information, please call [phone].

Bear Closures - areas that are closed due to bear activity. Please read What Do I Do If I See A Bear? for important safety information about bears.

• Cosby Knob Shelter
• Campsites: #21, #24, #26, #36, #37, #57 and #90

Bear Warnings - areas where bears are active. Please read What Do I Do If I See A Bear? for important safety information about bears.

• Spence Field and Russell Field Shelters
• Campsites: #70
• Trails: Little River and Laurel Falls

Other Backcountry Closures and Warnings

• Vehicle-free access along the Cades Cove Loop Road each Wednesday will begin on Wednesday, May 5 through September 1, 2021.
• Abrams Falls Trail and associated parking areas will be closed May 10, 2021, through November 10, 2021, excluding federal holidays, on Monday mornings at 7:00 a.m. through Thursday evenings at 5:30 p.m. weekly. The trail will be fully open each week on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
• Scott Mountain Trail is closed from campsite #6 to Schoolhouse Gap. Campsite #6 is open.

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.

• Rabbit Creek Trail - the bridge where the trail crosses Abrams Creek is out. This is a wide crossing that may be deep during high water events.

• Boogerman/Caldwell Fork trails - several water crossings exist on the Caldwell Fork Trail. Hikers need to be prepared to ford the streams.

• Boat shuttles to and from Hazel Creek when lake levels are low are from the Ollie Cove Trailhead on the Hazel Creek embankment. 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. 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