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Newfound Gap Road To Open In Great Smoky Mountains On Wednesday

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Compiled from NPS releases

Published Date

October 1, 2024

Newfound Gap Road will be open to travelers Wednesday, October 2, Great Smoky Mountains National Park / NPS file

While cleanup from Tropical Storm Helene continues in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Newfound Gap Road that crosses the park from Tennessee to North Carolina is scheduled to reopen Wednesday morning.

Once the road reopens, planned for 8 a.m. ET, all major roads, trails and facilities on the Tennessee side of the park will reopen as well. The Kuwohi Road, formerly known as Clingmans Dome Road, also will reopen Wednesday morning.

Newfound Gap Road (aka US 441) has been closed following the storm due to limited park staffing (some park staff were impacted by the storm or are assisting with recovery) and limited resources including fuel, which the park had been reserving for emergency response. With the coordination from the city manager of Gatlinburg, and support from the National Park Service's Eastern Incident Management Team (which is supporting Blue Ridge Parkway), the park received a needed fuel delivery to the Oconaluftee area Tuesday.

"While the park has assessed high-use areas and trails for hazard and downed trees, visitors should exercise caution as they hike and explore the park," a National Park Service release said.

Several local communities including Tennessee's Sevier County, which includes Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, as well as Cherokee in North Carolina, are fully open to those who can access them through safe routes, the release noted.

Areas of the national park still closed include Cataloochee Valley, Big Creek, Balsam Mountain and Lakeview Drive. The Oconaluftee and Kuwohi visitor centers were also closed Tuesday.

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