This seasonal road will close on Nov. 13 this year and typically reopens in April. The historic gravel road, originally constructed in 1838, is now reopened to the public after a six-year closure. The road provided a significant commerce route for Cades Cove residents, including direct access to the Little Tennessee River for trading goods. Blount County commissioned Cades Cove resident Russell Gregory to oversee construction of the road, which was completed in 1838, to provide access from Cades Cove to what is now Highway 129. " Marc Upton OpenMapTiles OSM 8.3 Miles Doubletrack 2,774' High 1,380' Low 1,033' Up 1,586' Down 6% Avg Grade (3) The park secured funds for the removal of an additional 800 standing hazard trees along the road corridor from a $100,000 donation by the Friends of the Smokies, and taht donation was matched by an additional $50,000 from federal funds to pay for tree removal. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us. After further inspection, crews identified over 1,700 hazardous trees within falling distance of the roadcorridor. Visitors can explore the rich history of the area by stopping in the Henry Whitehead Place just before entering the one-way road and then also access the Burchfied and Boring cemeteries along the route. The Friends of the Smokies provided critical funding to support the removal of the trees. We are pleased to reopen Parson Branch Road in time for the 2022 summer season, said Deputy Superintendent Alan Sumeriski. The beloved backroad. Clear skies in lower areas do not guarantee the same weather in the higher elevations. 107 Park Headquarters Road Keep in mind, though, that the threat of falling trees is serious here. Not only does this restore access to one of the most special places in the Smokies, it also allows another opportunity for people of all abilities to spread out and explore less traveled areas of this very busy park.. The reopening of Parson Branch Road is certainly special, said Cades Cove Preservation Association Board Member Larry Sparks. GSMNP - Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials say that efforts are underway to reopen Parson Branch Road in 2022. CADES COVE Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials celebrated on Thursday (May 26) the reopening of Parson Branch Road with a ribbon-cutting event honoring the crew who performed the needed work and the Friends of the Smokies who provided critical funding to support the efforts. Parson Branch Rd is finally open, and I take us on the. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. makedonian lion not appearing; mcminnville, tn obituaries; naomi campbell donald; lingering sinus pressure after covid; This seasonally opened road is generally open from April to November annually. Those attending Thursdays ceremony were the first to drive on the eight-mile long gravel road since it closed. I'm so excited about it reopening..Yay!!! (May 26) the reopening of Parson Branch Road with a ribbon-cutting event honoring the crew who performed the needed work and the Friends of the Smokies who provided critical funding to support the efforts. This will make a great option to visit the Fontana Dam / Lake area so you won't have to backtrack. by adminMay 26, 2022General Announcements0 comments. (GSMNP) Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that efforts are underway to reopen Parson Branch Road in 2022. Jun 10, 2016 Jun 10, 2016; 0; Facebook; Twitter; WhatsApp; SMS; Email; The rockslide is between Parson Branch and Happy Valley. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Parson Branch Road is 80 miles long. The station serves the adjacent Queens Center Mall, as well as numerous bus lines. Motorhomes, buses, vans longer than 25 feet, and passenger vehicles towing trailers are prohibited. TStay informed about what's happening in Eas. The estimated cost of hazardous tree removal for the area at the time, ranged between $300,000 and $450,000, the park said.. Parson Branch Road, a bucolic route that runs from Cades Cove to the western boundary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has been closed since 2016 due to hazardous trees. Others attending the ribbon-cutting include Deputy Park Superintendent Alan Sumeriski; Friends of the Smokies CEO Tim Chandler; Friends of the Smokies Board Chair Sharon Pryse; representatives from the work crews, and special donors who contributed funds to repair and reopen the road. Kristina Plaas A 184-year-old mountain road once deemed. Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials celebrated the reopening of Parson Branch Road recently with a ribbon-cutting event honoring the crew who performed the needed work and the Friends of the Smokies who provided critical funding to support the efforts. Once the tree removal work is complete, Park crewswill begin working on road clean-up, ditching, and grading of the road surfaceto ready it for opening. Head to the Sugarlands visitor center, Then to Cades Cove and do the full loop to Sparks lane, back to the Cades Cove visitor center, Parson Branch road, Tail of the dragon to Foothills parkway and all the way back to Wears Valley. Of course being Federal, there would have had to be 6 thousand environmental impact statements done that would have cost a hundred times the amount of the removal - go figure. When you get to the intersection next to the visitors center inside Cades Cove, if you drive straight across, you will start your path to Parsons Branch. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); High clearance vehicles are recommended for traveling Parson Branch Road. The eight-mile road now provides motorists a trail-like experience through a mature forest canopy with nearly 20 stream crossings. High clearance vehicles are recommended for traveling Parson Branch Road. A $100,000 donation by Friends of the Smokies allowed the park to remove an additional 800 hazardous trees from along the road. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 828.452.4251. Much of it follows a creek in a ravine down to the Little Tennessee (TOTD) then its left to Cherokee or right toward Chilhowee Lake where you can pick up the Foothills Parkway back to Wears Valley or take the road just before the Parkway back to Alcoa/Maryville. For the first time in six years, Parson Branch Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open to the public. Find panoramic vistas, historic buildings, secluded forests, and more on one of our many auto touring routes. For more information about road closures, please follow SmokiesRoadsNPSon Twitter or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/grsm. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. CADES COVE Great Smoky Mountains National Park contractors began removing at least 800 dead hemlock trees along Parson Branch Road, an eight-mile primitive backcountry road that connects Cades Cove with U.S. 129 on the western edge of the park. The road provided a significant commerce route for Cades Cove residents, including direct access to the Little Tennessee River for trading goods. Rich Mountain Road: Open April 7 - November 12, 2023. Park officials held a ribbon-cutting event May 26 to honor the crew that performed the work and Friends of the Smokies, which provided critical funding. That donation was matched by an additional $50,000 from federal funds. During a recent assessment, park managers determined that the number of hazards along the roadway had diminished due to a significant number of trees naturally falling. Our treasured National Park faces many daunting challenges each year on top of trying to meet routine, operational needs, said Friends of the Smokies Board Chair Sharon Pryse. Once the tree removal work is complete, Park crews will begin working on road clean-up, ditching, and grading of the . If you go, its important to note that motorhomes, buses and vans longer than 25 feet as well as passenger vehicles towing trailers are prohibited on the one-way road. Great Smoky Mountains Natl. National Parks Traveler is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit media organization. CH 51659), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING 800-435-7352 OR VISITING THEIR WEBSITE WWW.FRESHFROMFLORIDA.COM. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tourism Great Smoky Mountains National Park Hotels Great Smoky Mountains National Park Vacation Packages Flights to Great Smoky . Blount County commissioned Cades Cove resident Russell Gregory to oversee construction of the road, which was completed in 1838, to provide access from Cades Cove to what is now Highway 129. C-SPAN, an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels (C-SPAN, C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3), one radio station and a group of. After a long wait, Thursday welcomed the reopening of Parson Branch Road in Cades Cove. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News. I must admit it hasn't the charm of the Rich Mountain Road or Balsam Ridge, but I am glad they're reopening it for those who roam. This portal to the past is Parsons Branch Road, an 8-mile track leading from Cades Cove to U.S. 129 about 4 miles from the top of The Dragon, that 11-mile climb that contains 318 curves. Follow @SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter for the most up to date road information. The road restoration involved removing more than 1,700 dead hemlock trees, replacing 16 culverts and installing 550 tons of gravel. The eight-mile, primitive gravel road between Cades Cove and the western boundary of the park along Highway 129 has been closed since 2016due to hazardous tree concerns. Northbound Spur traffic will be one lane beginning January 3 through April 7 . , For sure not any great views but I still very much enjoy this road. The Friends of the Smokies provided critical funding to support the removal of the trees, according to the park. Janet, yes. The narrow, low speed roadway closely winds along the creek through mature forests containing a high concentration of Eastern hemlock trees which were dead or dying due to a widespread infestation of the non-native forest pest, hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). They never get in a hurry to fix that road when it washes. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. All rights reserved. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tourism Great Smoky Mountains National Park Hotels Great Smoky Mountains National Park Packages Flights to Great Smoky Mountains . That is great news, not just for the folks who enjoy driving the road but for the folks who prefer the additional option for a route hiking to Gregory Bald. I have been looking forward to it reopening because I have wanted to combine it to a loop I wanted to do since they completed the new section of the foothills parkway. Not only does this restore access to one of the most special places in the Smokies, it also allows another opportunity for people of all abilities to spread out and explore less traveled areas of this very busy park., TheEnvironmentalJournalofSouthernAppalachia. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-113130101', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Pigeon Forge. Please arrive at the Cades Cove entrance by 9:15 a.m. Travel time from the entrance to the event is estimated to be 33 minutes. By the time we got to the truck and started out the water was over the tires on the last few crossings. Rain or shine, Parson Branch Road in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park will reopen to visitors on Thursday.