Great Smoky Mountains National Park Initiates Corona Virus Health Guidelines

Smoky Mountain campgrounds and facilities close due to COVID - 19..

Smoky Mountain campgrounds and facilities close due to COVID – 19.

Great Smoky Mountains Initiates Corona Virus Health Guidelines. Beginning Monday, March 23, 2020 all national park campgrounds, picnic areas, pavilions and restrooms will be closed to the public. The closure of the facilities will continue until Thursday, April 30, 2020. At this time there is no definitive position on if backcountry campsites will close also. This is a  continuing effort to support federal, state, and local efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). As conditions change in America and the Smoky Mountain region, the park will continue to implement operational changes that help ensure the health and safety of visitors, employees, volunteers, partners, and local communities.

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Great Smoky Mountain National Park Visitor Centers Close

GSMNP visitor center close to slow Corona virus.

GSMNP visitor centers close to slow Corona virus.

Great Smoky Mountain National Park Visitor Centers Close March 17, 2020. The closures are in response to efforts to inhibit the spread of the COVID – 19 (Corona) virus. The closures include the Sugarlands, Oconaluftee and Cades Cove Visitors Centers until further notice.

Great Smoky National Park officials are heeding guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. The facilities are being shuttered to ensure the safety of park staff and visitors.

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Park Recruits Trail Volunteers

GSMNP recruits hiking trail volunteers.

GSMNP recruits hiking trail volunteers.

Park Recruits Trail Volunteers. Great Smoky Mountains National Park encompasses over 500,000 square miles and boasts 848 miles of maintained hiking trails. Volunteers are being recruited to “adopt a trail.” Participants will be asked to hike a single designated trail a minimum of four times a year and submit a report on their findings.

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Smoky Mountain Mingus Mill Volunteers Needed

GSMNP Mingus Mill volunteers needed!

GSMNP Mingus Mill volunteers needed!

Smoky Mountain Mingus Mill Volunteers Needed. Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials are asking for volunteers to provide interpretive historic and orientation information to national park visitors at the historic Mingus Mill in the Oconaluftee valley. The mill is found a half mile north of the GSMNP Oconaluftee Visitor Center in North Carolina. Volunteers and millers will share insights on the unusual turbine wheel of Minus Mill and the historic role of milling in the Smoky Mountains.

Mingus Mill was built in 1886 and provided service for the residents of the Oconaluftee Valley. Visitors will get an up close look at the inner workings of the mill which could grind a variety of products including corn, wheat and rye. The turbine drive design produced cornmeal and flour in a fraction of the time needed by other area mills.

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