Parts of Great Smoky Mountains National Park have experienced “substantial damage” following the impacts of Hurricane Helene , according to the National Park Service, as the park continues to assess conditions after the storm.
Many facilities, roads, trails and campgrounds are now open on the Tennessee side of the most-visited national park in the country, but the North Carolina side of the park was hit the hardest, washing out roads and bridges and damaging trails and historic sites, NPS said in an Oct. 11 update.
Here’s what visitors need to know about what's open and what's still closed before they head to Great Smoky Mountains National Park post-Helene.
What’s open in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as of Oct. 11?
All park visitor centers and most park facilities and roads are open. In Tennessee, all park campgrounds are open. Many miles of trails in western sections of the park have low impacts and few downed trees.
Newfound Gap Road/U.S. 441 is open 24 hours a day now, too. However, commercial vehicles are prohibited in the park, with the exception of the Spur. Commercial vehicles attempting to travel Newfound Gap Road will be turned away at checkpoints on both sides of U.S. 441 during overnight hours.
The checkpoints are at the intersection of U.S. 441 and Little River Road in Tennessee and at the intersection of Blue Ridge Parkway and the U.S. 441 four-lane in North Carolina, Park Management Assistant Katie Liming told Knox News.
Visitors planning to hike in the Smokies are advised to check the park website or talk to staff in visitor centers or the backcountry office about current trail conditions.
What’s closed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as of Oct. 11?
The North Carolina side of the park, including Balsam Mountain, Big Creek and Cataloochee Valley, experienced the most severe damage, according to NPS. These areas will remain closed until further notice due to damage and safety concerns.
Foothills Parkway East, Lakeview Drive, roads in Cataloochee Valley, roads in Balsam Mountain area and Parsons Branch Road are all closed. North Carolina campgrounds are closed and several trails on the eastern side are closed, too.
Cataloochee Valley saw the most significant damage, NPS said. Flooding from Rough Fork Creek washed out several roads in the valley, Cataloochee Valley Road is not drivable and various levels of erosion and flooding impacted all trails in the Cataloochee Valley. Nearly all footlog bridges in the area were washed away, and there are fallen trees, damaged powerlines and campsites damaged by flooding.
Big Creek Trail has damage throughout its length and lost a 70-foot steel bridge and its abutments. A landslide took out 100 feet of trail along Gunter Fork Trail. Some historic buildings, particularly the Caldwell Barn, also were damaged. Park staff are working to stabilize these structures.
The park strongly suggests all visitors in the Smokies to check the park website at nps.gov/grsm and talk to staff at visitor centers about conditions in the park. Park staff will continue to assess for when closed areas can be safely opened.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com . On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208 .
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Helene caused ‘substantial damage’ in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. What’s closed
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