Cades Cove Loop Road Closed for Spraying Operation

Managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced plans to close the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road to all vehicular traffic on Tuesday, November 29, and to impose a partial closure on Wednesday, November 30. During that time, Park forestry technicians will treat hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA)-infested hemlock trees with a horticultural oil sprayed from large truck-mounted units as they have been doing since 2004.

During the full closure on November 29, only hikers will be allowed to travel the Loop Road. Bicyclists will not be allowed to enter the Loop Road for safety reasons since there will be heavy equipment on the road making it unsafe for bicycling. Park personnel will be working at the entrance and exit areas of the Loop.

The spraying operation on November 30 will only impact the western end of the Loop Road. Motorists and cyclists will be able to enter the Loop as they normally would, but will have to detour across the Loop via Hyatt Lane (the second gravel crossroad) to exit Cades Cove. Hikers can continue through the closed portion. The detour will shorten the length of the trip to an 8-mile tour of Cades Cove. The Hyatt Lane bypass will eliminate access to the Cades Cove Visitor Center and Cable Mill area as well as the several trailheads located on the western end of Cades Cove: Abrams Falls, Cooper Road, Rabbit Creek, and Wet Bottom Trails, and Gregory Ridge trailhead.

As part of the Park's control efforts of the hemlock woolly adelgid, actions include spraying hemlock trees with the oil/soap application in high-use developed areas that are easily accessible by vehicles such as Cades Cove, campgrounds, picnic areas and along roadsides. Jesse Webster, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Project Coordinator, said that

"In addition to spraying trees in developed areas, the Park is utilizing a systemic pesticide to treat some of the larger hemlocks in the spray zone. The systemic treatments move into the tree canopy with sap flow and can effectively control adelgids for 5-7 years which can be a more practical and cost effective approach to management. The spray acts as a quick knockdown allowing the systemics to catch up."

The park employs a three-prong approach that also includes the release of predator beetles. All of the chemical and biological control techniques are showing positive effects in areas of these treatments, despite the noticeable decline of tree vigor and mortality throughout the Park. Currently about 600 acres are being sprayed annually, over 180,000 hemlock trees are being hand-treated with systemic pesticides spread across 4,400 acres, and about a half-million predator beetles have been released.

In the event of heavy rain or freezing weather, the operation will be rescheduled. To check the status of the road closure, visitors can call the Park's general information number at 865/436-1200.



Jeff
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Controlled burns in Cades Cove this week

If weather permits, the Great Smoky Mountains will be conducting prescribed burns in Cades Cove between Monday and Thursday of this week. The Loop Road will remain open, but delays may be possible. Fires may be visible from the roadway and visitors may encounter smoke in the valley and along the roadway. Temporary closures of the Primitive Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, and Abrams Fall trailhead are also possible.

Also, as a reminder, the Cades Cove Loop Road will be closed for two days during the week of November 28 - December 2 for hemlock woolly adelgid spraying. Spray operations are weather dependent. Exact dates will be posted once they are determined.

Please click here for more information.


Jeff
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Temporary closures at Cades Cove and the Alum Cave Trailhead this week

As mentioned in a posting last week, the Great Smoky Mountains will be temporarily closing the Cades Cove Loop Road and the north portion of the Alum Cave Trail parking area later this week in order to install new precast concrete public restrooms (vault toilets). The park has provided a few more details on the two projects in a press release today:

The Cades Cove Loop Road will close on Thursday, June 16, until 12 p.m. to accommodate the transport and installation of a vault toilet at the Abrams Falls Trailhead.

The road closure is necessary so that the tractor trailer carrying the vault toilets can enter Cades Cove via the exit side of the one-way loop road in order to avoid driving over the Abrams Creek bridge. The load capacity of the tractor trailer exceeds the design of the Abrams Creek bridge.

In addition, the north portion of the Alum Cave Trail parking area along Newfound Gap Road also will be closed starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 16 � 8 p.m., Friday, June 17, to install a vault toilet at that popular location. Overnight backpackers who wish to hike the Alum Cave Trail to Mt. LeConte on Thursday for an overnight stay must park their vehicles in the adjacent parking area. The north parking lot will be the staging area for the large equipment that will be used to install the vault toilet near the trailhead.

�The placement of these ADA-compliant vault toilet systems will satisfy visitor needs as well as to help to reduce the sanitary issues associated with the heavy use that these areas receive,� said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson.


Jeff
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Vault toilet installations to cause temporary closures in Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains website has posted an update regarding the installation of vault toilets at the Alum Cave Trailhead and on the Cades Cove Loop Road. The installations will result in a couple of temporary closures next week. Here's the statement from the GSMNP website:

� Cades Cove Loop Road will be closed until noon on Thursday, June 16 to install a vault toilet.

� The north parking area at the Alum Cave Trailhead will be closed on Friday, June 17 to install a vault toilet. The trail will be open, but parking will be very limited.

I'll post more information if any other details become available.


Jeff
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