The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog: Smokies to Conduct Controlled Burns in Cades Cove

Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian-Piedmont-Coastal Zone fire management staff plan to burn approximately 689 acres of fields in Cades Cove. Weather permitting, burn operations will occur 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟱.

These seasonal controlled burns help perpetuate native herbaceous species that provide high quality cover and foraging opportunities for a diversity of wildlife including deer, turkeys, and ground nesting birds.

Visitors should expect to see firefighters and equipment along Sparks Lane, Hyatt Lane, and the western end of the Cades Cove Loop Road. The loop road and historic structures will remain open to visitor use, but brief delays and temporary closures may occur to ensure public safety during burn operations. Specifically, the crew plans to burn the following units depicted in orange on the attached map: 58-acre field near the Methodist Church, 33-acre Upper Tater Branch field, 226-acre Hyatt Lane Increase Fields, 323-acre Hyatt Lane/Primitive Baptist Church field, and 49-acre Rowans Branch field.

Visitors should also expect to see fire activity and smoke during prescribed burn operations. Fire managers ask that motorists reduce speed in work zones, but refrain from stopping in the roadways. If smoke is present, motorists should roll up windows and turn on headlights.