Smoky Mountains Ready for Spring
Did this great weather give you spring fever? You’re in luck. Many park facilities, campgrounds and secondary roads that were closed for the winter reopened today in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Here’s the lowdown, from the park officials themselves:
Roads – The secondary roads that are set to open on March 9 include: Little Greenbrier, Rich Mountain, Straight Fork/Round Bottom, and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Clingmans Dome Road is set to open on April 1 and the Heintooga Ridge and Balsam Mountain Roads will open on May 11.
Work to repair Parson Branch Road, a scenic route which leads from Cades Cove to U.S. 129 in Blount County, began in October 2006. The road which has been closed since 2003 due to severe flood damage is expected to open in mid-June 2007.
Operating Hours for Visitor Centers – The three visitor centers are open daily and the operating hours through March are as follows: Sugarlands Visitor Center, near Gatlinburg, TN, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Cades Cove Visitor Center, near Townsend, TN, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, NC, hours will be 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
A new National Recreation Reservation System (NRRS) provides visitors an opportunity to make reservations to many federally-managed recreation areas, in addition to the National Park Service, all across the U.S. New features to the system allow campers to select specific campsites to reserve and to make them 6 months in advance. In addition, group campsites and picnic pavilions can now be reserved up to 12 months in advance. To make reservations at three of the Park’s developed campgrounds, group campsites, horse camps, and picnic shelters, visitors can go to www.Recreation.Gov or, alternatively, book reservations by calling 877-444-6777.
Family Campgrounds open on a staggered basis starting March 9. (See the following schedule for exact dates.)
Three of the Park’s 10 campgrounds are on NRRS from May 15-October 31: Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont. Camping fees are $14 per site at the smaller, more primitive campgrounds, $17 at the more developed campgrounds. At the reservation campgrounds during the period May 15-October 31, sites will cost $20 per night. In addition, Elkmont’s popular riverside campsites are $23 per night.
Campers have an opportunity to camp in “generator free” campsites for the 2007 camping season at three campgrounds: Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont campgrounds. Campers can reserve a site in the generator-free loop sections of Cades Cove or choose a specific site in the Elkmont campground that is generator free (no designated loops). At Smokemont, while there is no separate generator free designation, loops A, B, and C are managed as tents only and generator free, and RV campers who prefer a generator-free site may reserve a site in those loops.
Group Camping will be available at seven campgrounds (see schedule for opening dates) and reservations must be made through NRRS. Group camping is available at Big Creek, Cataloochee, Cosby, Deep Creek, Elkmont, Cades Cove, and Smokemont. The cost for group camping ranges from $26 to $65 per site/night. Horse Camps at Anthony Creek, Big Creek, Cataloochee, and Towstring will open April 1 and reservations are only available through NPRS. Round Bottom will remain closed until the construction work on Straight Fork/Balsam Mountain Roads is completed. Horse site fees are $20 at all horse camps except for Big Creek where it is $25.
Picnic Areas – There are 10 first-come, first-serve picnic areas. Open all year are Big Creek, Cades Cove, Chimney Tops, Cosby, Greenbrier, Deep Creek, and Metcalf Bottoms. Collins Creek Picnic Area will open on March 9 and Heintooga and Look Rock are scheduled to open on May 11. The Park’s largest picnic pavilion at Twin Creeks opens on May 1.
Reservations are required through NRRS only. Twin Creeks fees ranges from $35-$75 depending on the number of people. In addition, picnickers can reserve five other picnic pavilions on NRRS. They are located at Collins Creek, Cosby, Deep Creek, Metcalf Bottoms, and Greenbrier picnic areas. The cost is $20, except at Greenbrier where it is $10.
Horseback Riding is available at four horse concession operations in the Park. The rates are $20 per horse per hour. The Smoky Mountain Riding Stable is scheduled to open March 10, weather permitting. The Cades Cove Riding Stable will open March 15, the Sugarlands Riding Stable will open on March 17, and Smokemont Riding Stable starts up April 1. In addition to horseback rides, Cades Cove Riding Stable also offers buggy rides ($7.50 per person) and hayrides ($6 per person), as well as special ranger-led hayrides ($8.00 per person).
LeConte Lodge, accessible only by trail, will open on March 19. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 865/429-5704, fax 865/774-0045 or e:mail reservations@lecontelodge.com. One night at the lodge costs $93 per adult and $72.50 for children 10 and under (tax not included). The price includes two meals–dinner and breakfast.
Campground Concessions - The Cades Cove Campground Store will open for business on March 31. The store provides groceries, and camping supplies, firewood and ice, bike rentals, vending, limited food service and souvenirs. The Elkmont Campground concession will open March 9. The concession provides firewood, ice, and vending of soft drinks, newspapers, and snacks. Smokemont Riding Stables provides firewood, ice and soft drink vending.
Check out the Campground Schedule.
