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Rich Mountain Road
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Temporary Closure of Rich Mountain Road

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced that Rich Mountain Road off of the Cades Cove Loop Road will be closed on Monday, June 11 and Tuesday, June 12 to allow for vista clearing work. Crews will be trimming and removing vegetation from around two overlooks to restore the historically unobstructed views.

The work performed is a part of a park wide vista clearing project which is reopening the views from 34 park overlooks. The project is scheduled to be completed by August 1.

During the Rich Mountain Road closure visitors will not be able to drive the one way road from Cades Cove Loop to the park boundary. The Indian Grave Gap trailhead will also be inaccessible.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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Smokies Announces Extensive Vista Clearing Project

Thursday, March 22, 2012

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Whenever the National Park Service has surveyed visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park about their planned activities while in the Park, the number one response has always been "viewing scenery - scenic views." Over the years the number and quality of those scenic viewpoints along Park roads has gradually declined. When Park roads were constructed, the forests had been extensively logged and often burned in pre-Park days, leaving unobstructed views in every direction, but 75 years of forest recovery has resulted in many of the scenic overlooks becoming obscured by maturing trees.

Over the next few months a Park contractor will be rolling back this "natural clock" by reopening 34 of the most popular roadside vistas along the Park's main roads. Park officials say that this will be the first major vista-clearing initiative in decades.

Acting Park Facility Manager, Charlie Sellars said, "We have developed specific clearing prescriptions for every one of the 34 overlooks scheduled for treatment. In each case we will have a Park staff person assigned to guide the contractor in determining which trees should be removed entirely and which will be trimmed or thinned."

The Park's goal in renewing its vista management program is to allow the views to be maintained on a seven year cycle. To achieve this, the contractor will apply herbicides to the stumps of the taller-growing tree species to prevent their re-sprouting. At the same time, they will be leaving the lower-growing or shrubby species, like rhododendron and mountain laurel, un-cut, so that eventually these low-growing native species will shade out and discourage the re-growth of the taller trees with less work by Park crews.

Motorists can expect to see vista management under way from April 1 through August 1 along Newfound Gap Road, Clingmans Dome Road, the East and West Foothills Parkway, the Gatlinburg Bypass, Rich Mountain Road, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, Lakeview Drive and Cataloochee Road. No roads are expected to be closed to complete the work, but the overlooks being cleared will be closed as needed to accomplish the work safely.

This sounds like great news to me. Looking forward to the improvements!


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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More Seasonal Road closings

Monday, November 8, 2010

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Over the next several days there will be a couple of seasonal road closings in the Great Smoky Mountains that will impact a handful of trails.

On Tuesday, November 16, the Roundbottom/Straight Fork Road will be closed for the season. The gravel road is accessed from the paved Big Cove Road, located near Oconaluftee in North Carolina. Trails impacted by this closing include the Hyatt Ridge, Enloe Creek and Beech Gap Trails.

The following Monday, November 22, Rich Mountain Road and Parson Branch Road will also close for the season. Both roads are one-way gravel roads, and are both accessed via the Cades Cove Loop Road.

Trails impacted by these closings include Indian Graves Gap on Rich Mountain Road, and the Gregory Bald and Hannah Mountain Trails on Parson Branch Road.

Of course all of these trails will continue to be open, but you may have problems reaching these particular trailheads.

Also, the Cades Cove and Smokemont campgrounds will remain open all year. Starting November 1, they will be on a self-registration basis with a reduced number of available sites. The Elkmont Campground will remain open through the Thanksgiving weekend and will close on December 1.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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Seasonal Road Closings in Cades Cove

Saturday, November 7, 2009

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Over the next several days there will be a couple of seasonal road closings in the Smoky Mountains that will impact a handful of trails.

On Tuesday, November 10, the Roundbottom/Straight Fork Road will be closed for the season. The gravel road is accessed from the paved Big Cove Road, located near Oconaluftee in North Carolina. Trails impacted by this closing include the Hyatt Ridge, Enloe Creek and Beech Gap Trails.

The following Monday, November 16, Rich Mountain Road and Parson Branch Road will also close for the season. Both roads are one-way gravel roads, and are both accessed via the Cades Cove Loop Road.

Trails impacted by these closings include Indian Graves Gap on Rich Mountain Road, and the Gregory Bald and Hannah Mountain Trails on Parson Branch Road.

Of course all of these trails will continue to be open, but you may have problems reaching these particular trailheads.

You should also be aware that the Cades Cove Campground Store will be closed on November 5 as well. However, vending machines will remain in service throughout the winter.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store Quality gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands.
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More Seasonal Road Closings in Smokies

Saturday, November 8, 2008

No comments
Over the next several days there will be a couple of seasonal road closings in the Smoky Mountains that will impact a handful of trails.

On Monday, November 10, the Roundbottom/Straight Fork Road will be closed for the season. The gravel road is accessed from the paved Big Cove Road, located near Oconaluftee in North Carolina. Trails impacted by this closing include the Hyatt Ridge, Enloe Creek and Beech Gap Trails.

The following Monday, November 17, Rich Mountain Road and Parson Branch Road will also close for the season. Both roads are one-way gravel roads, and are both accessed via the Cades Cove Loop Road.

Trails impacted by these closings include Indian Graves Gap on Rich Mountain Road, and the Gregory Bald and Hannah Mountain Trails on Parson Branch Road.

Of course all of these trails will continue to be open, but you may have problems reaching these particular trailheads.

You should also be aware that the Cades Cove Campground Store will close on November 17 as well. However, vending machines will remain in service throughout the winter.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store Quality gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands.
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