Outdoors Latest

Ramsey Cascades Trail closes on weekdays

Written by
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Work has already begun on the Ramsey Cascades trail. Donated photo Work has already begun on the Ramsey Cascades trail. Donated photo

The National Park Service (NPS) will close Ramsey Cascades Trail on weekdays while trail crews finish the full-scale rehabilitation work started in 2022.

The rehabilitation of this iconic Smokies trail is part of the Trails Forever program supported by Friends of the Smokies.

The trail will be closed Monday through Thursday each week, except federal holidays. The weekday closures will be in place from April 15 to Nov. 14. The only weekend closure planned is May 3-5 while trail crews replace a log footbridge.

Trail crews will repair tread surfaces, improve drainages, construct trail structures such as staircases, turnpikes, and retaining walls and remove trip hazards like exposed roots and rocks.  The rehabilitation will improve overall trail safety and protect the park’s natural resources. Located in the Greenbrier area, the popular four-mile Ramsey Cascades Trail is the only way to access the 100-foot Ramsey Cascades, the tallest waterfall in the park.

Significant flooding and storm damage caused the NPS to close the trail completely for several months in 2022 and early 2023. Trail crews rerouted 200 feet of trail, built and installed a new footlog bridge and built four new trail structures damaged by the flood.

Tags:
Share:
Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Contribute >
Partner content: Avoiding ingredients
Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian
Partner content: Avoiding ingredients

Question: If there is a long list of ingredients that sound like chemicals on a food package, should I avoid buying it? 

 Read More
Partner content: What Can I Do With Tofu?
Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian
Partner content: What Can I Do With Tofu?

Tofu is the curd (like a cheese) of soybeans and comes in different textures from soft or silken to firm and extra-firm. Tofu is a good source of plant-based protein. Soft and silken have the consistency of a Greek yogurt, while firm and extra-firm tofu are more similar to a harder cheese or chicken breast. 

 Read More
Partner content: Ingredient Intelligence
Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian
Partner content: Ingredient Intelligence

Did you know that ingredients are listed from most to least?  What that means is that when you see the list of ingredients on a food package, the ingredients appear in the order in which the product has the most to which ingredients are in the smallest amount in the package.  

 Read More
Partner content: Smart Snacks
Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian
Partner content: Smart Snacks

When you’re busy it’s easy to grab something like a candy bar or soda to give you a quick hit of energy, but the reality is that those types of snacks are high in sugar which won’t keep you full, satisfied or fueled for long. Some better snack ideas: 

 Read More
Go to top
Payment Information
/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.