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Shutdown Closes Key Smokies Sites as Regional Coalition Works to Restore Access

Regional partners are finalizing funding to restore full park operations during the shutdown.

Overview

  • With roughly two-thirds of National Park Service staff furloughed, the Smokies are operating under reduced staffing that keeps most roads accessible.
  • Sugarlands Visitor Center and the Cades Cove Loop Road are closed, and other staffed facilities have limited access.
  • Newfound Gap Road remains open for through travel, and LeConte Lodge continues operating.
  • Sevier County, nearby cities, Blount and Cocke counties, Tennessee, North Carolina and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are finalizing a funding agreement to fully reopen operations.
  • Tourism leaders say early October disruptions threaten peak foliage visitation later in the month for a region that logged 12 million visitors and $2 billion in spending last year.