Park to extend Cades Cove vehicle-free Wednesdays

After receiving positive feedback from 2020’s test period, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced it will extend a pilot project for vehicle-free access in Cades Cove one day each week. The area’s Loop Road will be closed Wednesdays starting May 5 through Sept. 1. Park managers implemented this weekly, full-day opportunity beginning in 2020, attempting to improve visitor experiences and reduce congestion. Before that, the park did vehicle-free mornings at the Cove mornings until 10 on Wednesdays and Saturdays. According to the park, more than 60% of feedback submitted to the park regarding the vehicle-free-day pilot project — including 47 comments through mail, email, phone and comment cards — was extremely positive. But some campers still were impacted by early-morning parking congestion and some visitors were disappointed by the lack of vehicle access on Wednesdays. The full-day opportunity provided a “more enjoyable and safe experience” for the nearly 30,000 bicyclists and pedestrians who participated in the vehicle-free-day opportunities, according to the announcement. Additionally during the 2020 season, 25% more pedestrians and cyclists participated in vehicle-free-access periods per week as compared to the 2019 season, with an average of 1,800 participants taking advantage of the closure each Wednesday. GSMNP managers are still concerned about parking congestion at the Cove and are keeping an eye on how the situation evolves in 2021. According to data collected in 2020, parking lots were full during 30% of the observation period, and roadside shoulders along Laurel Creek Road were used for parking during 60% of the observation period. That means park workers will have to implement some changes in parking access this season to ease pressure on campground and picnic area parking lots, ultimately preventing roadside parking along Laurel Creek Road. Roadside parking damages shoulders and creates unsafe conditions for visitors walking from their vehicle to their destination, the announcement explained. Visit www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/management/ves. htm for more information about congestion monitoring in the park.

Hikers and bicyclists spend the day going around Cades Cove in spring 2020 as part of a pilot program to keep to Cove Road closed to vehicle traffic on Wednesdays through the summer. That program was extended through September 2021.