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Parson Branch Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was reopened May 26 after a six-year closure. National Park Service 

Parson Branch Road had been closed since 2016 because of washouts and danger from trees killed by the hemlock woolly adelgid

This article was provided by Great Smoky Mountains National Park Public Information Officer Dana Soehn.

CADES COVE — Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials celebrated on Thursday (May 26) the reopening of Parson Branch Road with a ribbon-cutting event honoring the crew who performed the needed work and the Friends of the Smokies who provided critical funding to support the efforts. The historic gravel road, originally constructed in 1838, is now reopened to the public after a six-year closure. 

“We are pleased to reopen Parson Branch Road in time for the 2022 summer season,” said Deputy Superintendent Alan Sumeriski. “Not only does this restore access to one of the most special places in the Smokies, it also allows another opportunity for people of all abilities to spread out and explore less traveled areas of this very busy park.”