Updates on Flood Damaged Trails in the Smokies

The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog: Updates on Flood Damaged Trails in the Smokies: Great Smoky Mountains National Park crews are making needed repairs on both Chimney Tops Trail and Noland Creek Trail which received significant flood damage this winter.

In Tennessee, the popular Chimney Tops Trail has been closed since January when high waters destroyed the pedestrian bridge across Walker Camp Prong at the beginning of the trail. Crews are working to replace the 70-foot long bridge to allow trail access and estimate reopening the trail by June 30th, 2013. At that time, the Park's Trails Forever Crew will begin Phase 2 of the ongoing full trail rehabilitation which will necessitate closing the trail each Monday through Thursday from Monday, July 1 through Thursday, October 17, while the trail continues to undergo a major facelift.

In North Carolina, Park crews will repair a slide area along Noland Creek Trail. In order to make the needed repairs, the trail will be closed to all hiker and horse use from April 22 - May 2, 2013 from the trailhead to Backcountry Campsite 64. Note that Campsite 64 will remain open, but Backcountry Campsite 65 will be closed during the project.

During the January 30th storm, the Great Smoky Mountains received more than 4 inches of rain in 24 hours, resulting in flooding of streams throughout the park which were already swollen from higher than normal precipitation throughout the month. Average rainfall during January across the Smokies usually averages 5-7 inches of rain, but the park received 14-17 inches of rain during the month.

Other backcountry closures you should be aware of include:

• Beard Cane Trail and campsites #3 and #11
• Hatcher Mountain Trail
• Scott Mountain Trail from campsite #6 to Schoolhouse Gap (campsite #6 is open)
• Backcountry Campsites 3, 11, 40, 54

For more information about trail closures, please call our Backcountry Information Office at 865-436-1297

Smokies Announces Plans for 2nd Phase of Chimney Tops Trail Rehabilitation Project

The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog: Smokies Announces Plans for 2nd Phase of Chimney Tops Trail Rehabilitation Project :

Officials at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have announced that the first phase of the rehabilitation of the popular Chimney Tops Trail, from the trailhead to the junction with the Road Prong Trail, has been completed. On Friday, October 19th, the trail will be open all week until the second phase of the trail rehabilitation begins in late April of 2013. The Chimney Tops Trailhead is located along Newfound Gap Road about 8 miles south of the Park's Gatlinburg, TN entrance.

The combination of heavy use, abundant rainfall, and steep terrain turned the Chimney Tops Trail into a badly eroded obstacle course of slick, broken rock, exposed tree roots, and mud. Since April 2012, The Park's Trails Forever Crew has been rebuilding the trail using durable stone and rot-resistant black locust timbers that will stabilize the trail for decades to come, reducing annual maintenance and greatly improving the visitor experience. The crew constructed rock steps to carry hikers up the steepest areas and prevent erosion, redefined sections of trail that have become unsafe or difficult to navigate, improved drainage by modifying water bars or constructing other types of drainage structures, and built raised turnpike structures out of sustainable materials to prevent further erosion.

Phase Two will consist of the rehabilitation of 0.4 miles of trail from the junction with Road Prong Trail to the first left hand switchback leaving the steep drainage. This section represents the most continuous technical trail reconstruction needed on the entire rehabilitation project. During Phase Two, the trail will again be closed each Monday through Thursday from late April through October to safely accommodate trail rebuilding activities which include moving and breaking large rock.

Trails Forever is a partnership program between Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Friends of the Smokies who donated $121,000 this year to support the program, and the generosity of the Knoxville based Aslan Foundation. With 848 miles of hiking trails, an average of more than 80 inches of rain a year, and significant forest vegetation, trail crews at Great Smoky Mountains National Park focus their efforts primarily on cyclic maintenance to keep the trails open (clearing windfalls, mowing/pruning and drainage). The Trails Forever program provides the opportunity for a highly skilled trail crew to focus reconstruction efforts on the high use and high priority trails in the park. The program also provides a mechanism for volunteers to work alongside the trail crew on these complex trail projects to assist in making lasting improvements to preserve the trails for future generations. The Park invites interested trail work volunteers to visit the Trails Forever website at www.smokiestrailsforever.org or contact the Trails and Facilities Volunteer Coordinator at (828) 497-1949 for more information.

For more information on hiking the Chimney Tops Trail, please click here.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies