Dollywood Cades Cove Expansion Breaks Ground

Dollywood Cades Cove Expansion Breaks Ground. Smoky Mountain officials announced today the expansion of the popular theme park has begun. The project has not been without controversy. Locals and visitors have expressed outrage but the lack of support for the protest movement and the recent park closure due to the COVID-19 virus cleared the way for the work to begin.

The new addition to the Smokies will include the longest and fastest roller coaster in North America. Dubbed the “Grand Parton,” the coaster will exceed 325 miles per hour. Three tunnels will be constructed for the coaster to pass through the mountains. Abrams Creek will be rerouted to the newer and taller Abrams Falls. The new falls will accommodate the new “River Wild Rampage” ride plunging visitors over six hundred feet into a large holding pond.

“We knew parking would be a big problem in Cades Cove for the millions of new visitors but after serious thought we were able to solve that issue,” said park official O. Howie Lyes. “We gained the rights to 700 acres of park land to log. Once the trees were gone we were ready to park cars. We were even able to use the lumber we harvested to help construct the new roller coaster! Everything worked out great.“

This expansion will not be the first time a national park has also doubled as a theme park. Who will forget the short-lived Niagra Falls tubing extravaganza or the Grand Canyon chutes and ladders park. Visitors will no doubt have strong opinions about the theme park but we can’t wait to ride the new rollercoaster!

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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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