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Wintry Weather Closes National Parks

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Published Date

January 15, 2024
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park is one of several parks closed on Monday due to winter weather / NPS file photo

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park was one of many parks closed Monday due to winter weather / NPS file photo

A wintry mix of snow, ice, and frigid temperatures closed a number of national park sites across the country Monday.

Here's a look at many of the parks that were closed:

  • At Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee, park staff said hazardous wearther conditions led to closure of most park roads, including Newfound Gap, Little River, Gatlinburg Bypass, Cherokee Orchard at park boundary, Laurel Creek, Cades Cove Loop, Upper Tremont, Foothills Parkway East and West, Wears Cove Gap, Old NC 284, Lakeview Drive, Greenbrier, Cataloochee Entrance and Tom Branch. All park facilities, including visitor centers, were also closed. Park staff would continue to maintain access to the Spur and to Newfound Gap Road from Cherokee to Towstring, and from Gatlinburg to Sugarlands.
  • Shenandoah National Park in Virginia was essentially shuttered as icy conditions prompted closure of Skyline Drive the length of the park.
  • The Schoodic Point on Schoodic Peninsula of Acadia National Park remained closed as a result of storm damage on January 10, and there was some trail damage elsewhere in the park in Maine.
  • Fire Island National Seashore in New York also reported storm damage to boardwalks at the Sunken Forest, Carrington House, and Watch Hill Nature Trail, all of which were closed.
  • Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in western Nebraska was closed Monday due to extremely cold temperatures.
  • Visitor facilities at Badlands National Park in South Dakota were closed Monday due to frigid temperatures.
  • Many sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina were closed due to snow, ice, and road repairs. Check the road report here.
  • Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in Georgia and Tennessee was closed Monday due to the weather.
  • The visitor center at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia was closed Monday due to the weather.
  • Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa was closed Monday due to weather.
  • Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Kentucky and Tennessee was closed Monday due to wintry conditions.
  • Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Oregon and Washington was closed Monday because of snow and ice.
  • The Melrose and the William Johnson House sites of Natchez National Historical Park in Mississippi were to close at 3 p.m. on Monday and remain closed until 1 p.m. on Wednesday due to weather conditions.
  • The the Shiloh and Corinth battlefields at Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee and Mississippi were closed Monday due to winter weather.
  • Stones River National Battlefield in Tennessee was closed Monday due to winter weather.
  • Wind Cave National Park's visitor center and cave tours in South Dakota were closed at least through Tuesday due to heating system problems.

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Comments

I love winter in the Smokies, but spring will be here before you know it!


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