This week's rainstorm at Great Smoky Mountains National Park washed out parts of the Porters Creek Road/NPS

Some visitor access has returned to the Greenbrier area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where the first half-mile of the Greenbrier entrance road has reopened to motorists. Pedestrians and cyclists are allowed to use 2.5 miles of roadway beyond this point to the intersection with Ramsey Prong Road. 

A deluge that dropped nearly 9 inches of rain on that section of the park earlier this week washed out roads, trails, and culverts. The roadway sections leading to Porters Creek Trail and Ramsey Cascades Trail both received extensive flood damage. The trails themselves also suffered significant damage, including the loss of footlog bridges. Ramsey Cascades Trail was previously closed for the season, Monday through Thursday each week, for a full-scale trail renovation as part of the Trails Forever program supported by Friends of the Smokies. Unfortunately, much of the rehabilitation work accomplished earlier this year along the trail was damaged by the flood.  

The temporary closure continues to include Greenbrier Picnic Area, Greenbrier Picnic Pavilion, and Backcountry Campsites 31, 32, and 33. Old Settlers, Brushy Mountain, and Grapeyard Ridge Trails remain open, but hikers must access them from parking lots near the Greenbrier entrance or from other areas of the park.