Great Smoky Mountains National Park Announces Trail Closures in Conjunction With Coronavirus

Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is increasing recreational access and services through a phased approach that aligns with local, state, and national opening plans beginning Saturday, May 9.

Park managers have implemented an Adaptive Operations Plan with five operational phases. The park’s plan is designed to be adaptive to regional conditions by increasing or decreasing the scope of park operations as appropriate. Each operational phase will include a two-week assessment period before moving on to the next phase.

When the park opens the following trails will be closed:

Laurel Falls Trail, Alum Cave Trail, Chimney Tops Trail and Clingmans Dome Tower.

The park recommends that you check this park page often for the latest updates on open facilities and access: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/conditions.htm All openings are based on available staffing. Temporary closures may occur on short notice.

With more than 800 miles of trails meandering throughout the park, hiking is the absolute best way to see Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In fact, the park offers a wide variety of outstanding hikes that take-in the best scenery the Smokes has to offer. If you do plan to visit the Smokies this year, please note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings to help with all your trip planning.




Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
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TetonHikingTrails.com

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