Corona Virus Closes Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Corona Virus Closes Great Smoky Mountains National Park. GSMNP closes to support COVID – 19 prevention efforts. Park officials have closed all areas except the Foothills Parkway and the Spur. The closure will take effect Tuesday, March 24, 2020. The park will reopen Monday, April 6, 2020.The park will continue to assess changing conditions in our region and work with local communities to extend or terminate closures, as appropriate to ensure the health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, partners, and local residents.

“We are sad it has come to this but in the interest of public safety it is the right thing to do” said Bill from Louisiana.

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park Initiates Corona Virus Health Guidelines

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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Appalachian Trail Thru Hikers Asked To Postpone Thru-Hikes

Appalachian Trail Thru Hikers Asked To Postpone Thru-Hikes. Late winter and early spring is the time for a mass human migration known as Appalachian Trail thru-hike season. Hundreds of hearty souls begin their 2,160 mile odyssey on a lonely mountain in Georgia called Springer. Hikers will usually hike South to North and will traverse fourteen states. The northern terminus of the AT is a foreboding island in the sky called Mount Katahdin, Maine.

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Great Smoky Mountain National Park Visitor Centers Close

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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Smoky Mountain Region Coronavirus Closings

Smoky Mountain Region Coronavirus Closings as of March 16, 2020. As the nation and the world brace for the effects of the COVID-19 virus the Smoky Mountain region is taking measures to protect the public. Many major events and gatherings are being cancelled or postponed as concerns grow in East Tennessee. Officials are urging large gatherings be put on hold as the number of confirmed cases in the United State continue to rise. Large group gatherings are believed to increase the chance of infection and should be avoided.

The following businesses and events will be closed, cancelled or postponed.

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