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View Full Version : January flooding has affected Newfound Gap Rd. (into Gatlinburg)



squaw
01-17-2013, 09:58
I thought this might be of interest to this year's class, especially early starters.

http://www.thesylvaheraldblog.com/archives/5288

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has closed Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) due to a landslide which undercut the road near mile marker 22 between Collins Creeks and Webb Overlook at 9:40 a.m. The slide is estimated to be a 200 foot section of road extending 1000 foot down slope, but the full extent of the damage is not yet known. The closure is expected to be in effect for an extended period of time. The park is evaluating the remainder of the roadway, but anticipates Newfound Gap Road will be opened to visitors from the Gatlinburg (http://www.thesylvaheraldblog.com/archives/5288#) Entrance in Tennessee to Newfound Gap Parking lot as soon as it is possible. The road will be open to Smokemont on the North Carolina side.
Park staff are working with the Department of Federal Highway’s Construction and Geotechnical Services to evaluate the slide damage and to begin (http://www.thesylvaheraldblog.com/archives/5288#) planning for repairs. Additional details will be released as the condition assessments are analyzed.
As of midnight, Tuesday, January 15, the park received 8.56 inches of rain measured at Cherokee, 7.4 inches at Newfound Gap and 6.86 inches at LeConte. Rivers and streams have been running fast and high since Sunday when the rains began. There are currently multiple temporary road closures throughout the park due to high water.
For the most current road closure reports, please call 865-436-1200 x 631 (tel:865-436-1200%20x%20631) or follow SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter.

hikernutcasey
01-17-2013, 13:08
The damaged section is on the NC side of Newfound Gap, so if anyone is trying to get into Gatlinburg they will be fine. Other than a major inconvenience for people trying to travel to Gatlinburg from NC, this should not affect thru-hikers. Pretty crazy pics though I saw on some of the newspapers websites.

Dogwood
01-17-2013, 15:12
Get out and check out the waterfalls and steep rocky rivers They are flowing nicely! That's what I'm planning on doing over the next wk on the Foothills Trail.

Biggie Master
01-17-2013, 15:42
Get out and check out the waterfalls and steep rocky rivers They are flowing nicely! That's what I'm planning on doing over the next wk on the Foothills Trail.

Same here. Tentatively planning to do a short section in the Smokies on Saturday and see what's going on up there.