A view of a greening Cades Cove as seen from Loop Road in mid-March 2016. Great Smoky Mountains National Park crews will remove hazardous trees from the cove over the last weeks of January. Thomas Fraser/Hellbender PressTOWNSEND — Great Smoky Mountains National Park will remove hazard trees in Cades Cove Jan. 20-Jan. 24. This includes removing brush from the side of the road to keep vegetation from hitting passing vehicles and removing all hazard trees that could fall onto the road.
This process requires the use of heavy equipment. In order to ensure visitor safety, the park will close Cades Cove Loop Road the morning of Jan. 20 through noon on Jan. 24. Cades Cove will reopen to the public over the weekend, weather permitting. If further work is necessary, the loop road will close again on Jan. 27.
The park will bring in extra crews to complete this process as quickly as possible and appreciates the cooperation of the public as we make Cades Cove safer for all visitors.
As always, please refer to the park’s Current Conditions page for the most up to date information on road conditions.