Snow closes most roads in Smokies

The winter storm that dumped more than a foot of snow in the higher elevations of the Smokies has forced the closure of most of the roads in the park. The following are the current road closures:

• Newfound Gap Road
• Little River Road
• Laurel Creek Road to Cades Cove
• The Gatlinburg By-Pass
• Cherokee Orchard Road at the Park Boundary
• Greenbrier Entrance Road
• Cataloochee Entrance Road
• Toms Branch Road
• Cosby Entrance Road
• Lakeshore Drive
• Old NC-284 between Big Creek and Cataloochee

As of 7:30 this morning the National Weather Service website is reporting 15 inches of snow on the ground at Mt. LeConte, 10 inches at both the Sugarlands and Oconaluftee Visitor Centers, and 9 inches in Cades Cove. You can view a couple of photos from Mt. LeConte from the lodge blogsite.

If you prefer warmer weather, help is definitely on the way! Temps are supposed to hit 60 degrees in Gatlinburg this coming Saturday.

To stay up-to-date on weather forecasts and conditions in the Smokies, click here.

For the latest road reports, click here or call the park office at (865) 436-1200.



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com