Your trip to Smokies trails might take longer with this Gatlinburg road closure next week

Sections of Little River Road in Gatlinburg will close for several hours on two separate days beginning Sept. 10, according to the National Park Service.

Sections of the road, a main east-west connector through the park, will be closed while crews complete needed roadside work including mowing and pruning, ditch and culvert cleaning, shoulder drop off repair and hazard tree mitigation, park service explained.

The road closures are intended to ensure safety and that the work is efficiently completed. Visitors should plan for increased travel time.

When will Little River Road be closed?

• Little River Road from the Townsend Wye to Metcalf Bottoms will be closed 7 a.m.-noon Sept. 10 . Visitors can use Wears Valley Road (US 321) between Townsend and Line Springs Road as a detour.
• Little River Road from Metcalf Bottoms to the Elkmont Road juncture will be closed 7 a.m.-noon Sept. 12 . Visitors can use Wears Valley Road between Line Springs Road and Pigeon Forge as a detour.

Popular sites including Laurel Falls Trail, Elkmont, Metcalf Bottoms and Cades Cove will remain accessible during the closures but may require detours, NPS advised.

Motor homes, buses and vans longer than 25 feet, as well as any passenger vehicles towing a trailer, are prohibited on Wear Cove Gap Road to and from the park boundary, including the Metcalf Bridge, the park service said in a news release.

Updated information regarding road and trail closures is available at nps.gov/grsm and the park’s social media accounts .

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com . On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208 .

Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Your trip to Smokies trails might take longer with this Gatlinburg road closure next week