Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Much Of Tennessee Side Closed Due To Storm Damage

Rain and winds peaking at over 100 miles per hour struck the park on Monday night, particularly on the Tennessee side, bringing down trees and forcing closure of major roads and public use areas. Areas on the North Carolina side were not affected. The park’s status, as of yesterday morning, was as follows:

•  Major road closures included the Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441), Little River Road from Sugarlands Visitor Center to the Townsend entrance, Laurel Creek Road from the Townsend entrance to Cades Cove, and Cherokee Orchard Road outside of Gatlinburg. 
•  The Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Spur remained open, and the Sugarlands Visitor Center was open, albeit with limited services to due to partial power failures.  
•  Numerous trees were down in Tennessee campgrounds, including Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Cosby. Campers in the affected campgrounds were advised to vacate because of continuing hazards expected throughout the day. Trees were also reported down on camper vehicles. A six-year-old boy was injured when a tree fell on his family’s camper in the Cades Cove campground. He was taken to an area hospital, treated and released.
•  Rangers and road crews were assessing the condition of public use areas in order to determine when they would be safe to reopen.
•  No reports had been received of injuries to backpackers or hikers, although those activities increase at this time of the year.

By late yesterday afternoon, several roads had reopened, including a portion of the Little River Road from its junction with Newfound Gap Road to Elkmont campground, the Gatlinburg Bypass, Greenbrier Road, and the Cosby entrance road. Still closed were the Newfound Gap Road from Gatlinburg to Cherokee, Laurel Creek Road from the Townsend entrance to Cades Cove, the loop road in Cades Cove, Foothill Parkway (both east and west), Cherokee Orchard Road, and the Roaring Fork motor nature trail. Also closed was the Metcalf Bottoms picnic area on Little River Road. Two campgrounds reopened – a portion of Elkmont campground, accessible via the Gatlinburg entrance, and Cosby campground – but the campgrounds remained closed at Cades Cove, Abrams Creek and Look Rock. Campers at Cades Cove were advised to vacate because of forecasts calling for more high winds. Widespread damage is expected along park trails, but park staff have not yet been able to evaluate backcountry conditions. Visitors can call the park’s general information number at 865-436-1200 to check on the status of roads and facilities. [Submitted by Nancy Gray, Public Affairs Officer]