Archived Outdoors

Spring openings in the Smokies

Spring is here, and facilities closed for the winter are opening up accordingly in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

• Clingmans Dome Visitor Information Center will open April 1. 

• Round Bottom/Straight Fork Road will open April 1. 

• The backcountry office at Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with reservations also available online at www.smokiespermits.nps.gov or 865.436.1297.

• Cataloochee Campground will open March 25; Big Creek and Deep Creek campgrounds will open April 8; and Balsam Mountain Campground will open May 27. Smokemont Campground is open year-round. 

• LeConte Lodge, accessible by trail only, opened March 21. 

• Cataloochee Horse Camp will open March 25, Round Bottom Horse Camp will open April 1 and Big Creek Horse Camp will open April 8. 

www.nps.gov/grsm

 

Blue Ridge Parkway sets opening schedule

Facilities and visitor services along the Blue Ridge Parkway will soon be opening for 2016, a year that marks the 100th anniversary for the National Park Service. 

• Pisgah Inn and Restaurant will open April 1. 

• Mount Pisgah Picnic Area will open April 15. 

• Waterrock Knob Visitor Center will open April 29. 

• Mount Pisgah Campground will open May 6.

• The Folk Art Center and Asheville Visitor Center are open year-round. 

Some sections of the southern end of the Parkway are still closed due to winter weather. For real-time updates on Parkway closures, visit www.nps.gov/maps/blri/road-closures.

 

Clingmans Dome Road opens early

The road to the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park opened a tad early this year due to last week’s warm weather. 

Clingmans Dome Road opened Saturday, March 26, a few days ahead of its usual March 31 opening. The 7-mile road typically closes Dec. 1 of each year. 

At 6,643 feet, the dome is the park’s highest point and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi, offering a 360-degree view at the top. 

Current road closure information is posted at @SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter. 

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