Great Smoky Mountains
National Park has announced its winter season facility closings schedule. As
cooler weather approaches and visitation decreases, various facilities will
close, including seven of the 10 campgrounds, and operational hours for some
visitor services will be reduced.
Through the month of November,
the Sugarlands Visitor Center, 2 miles south of Gatlinburg, will open daily from
8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Oconaluftee Visitor Center, 2 miles north of Cherokee, NC,
will serve visitors from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Cades Cove Visitor Center
located half way around the Cades Cove Loop Road will be opened daily from 9
a.m.-5 p.m. Several of the secondary roads will close as indicated: Balsam
Mountain/Heintooga Roads on November 1, Parson Branch and Rich Mountain Roads on
November 17, Roundbottom/Straight Fork on November 10, and Clingmans Dome and
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trails on December 1.
During the winter months, the Park's two main roads, Newfound Gap
(U.S. 441) and Little River, will remain open throughout the year, except for
temporary closures for extreme winter weather conditions.The Gatlinburg Bypass,
Cades Cove Loop Road, Cosby Road, Greenbrier Road, Upper Tremont, Forge Creek,
Lakeview Drive, and Foothills Parkway (East and West) will open and close as
road conditions mandate. LeConte Lodge will accommodate guests until November 26
when it will close for the season. Two of the three major campgrounds will
remain open all year. These year-round campgrounds are Cades Cove in Tennessee
and Smokemont in North Carolina. Elkmont Campground will remain open through the
Thanksgiving weekend and will close on December 1. Seven picnic areas will
remain open through the winter: Chimney Tops, Cades Cove, Cosby, Greenbrier,
Metcalf Bottoms, Big Creek and Deep Creek.
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November 2008 Archives
Cades Cove Heritage Tours has started the first-ever guided educational shuttle
service through Cades Cove. Cades Cove attracts nearly two million visitors and
800,000 vehicles each year. To improve traffic condition and air quality, the
public will now be able to get a guided shuttle tour through the 11-mile loop.
"Visitors who take a tour with us will not only learn about the rich
mountain history and unique natural resources of Cades Cove but will also feel
good about how their choice affects the environment of the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park," said Alex Roche, manager of the nonprofit Cades Cove Heritage
Tours. The shuttles are 19-passenger fuel efficient vehicles. Public tours cost
$13 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for children and six and under are free. The
tours will operate daily, leaving the depot at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. lasting
approximately three hours. The depot is located next door to the Great Smoky
Mountain Heritage Center in Townsend.
