Great Smoky Mountains warns of congestion

Great Smoky Mountains National Park told visitors in a May 18 advisory to expect crowds, traffic congestion and limited parking over Memorial Day weekend. The National Park Service said high visitation is expected throughout the park, with parking available on a first-come, first-served basis and popular sites likely to fill early. WATE reported the guidance on May 20 as holiday travel builds across East Tennessee. No new parkwide trail closure announcement was included in that Memorial Day advisory, though the park’s standing alerts page lists separate cautions and closures in some areas. ### Where is the park expecting the biggest crunch? The National Park Service named Alum Cave Trail, Abrams Falls Trail, Rainbow Falls Trail and Kuwohi among the places where parking fills early on busy days. The park said visitors should expect congestion across the Smokies, not just at one entrance or trailhead. Great Smoky Mountains National Park also pointed travelers to its traffic and travel tips page, which says the park is the most visited national park in the country and lies within a day’s drive of more than half the U.S. population. That page advises visitors to plan around peak periods and check conditions before leaving. ### What are rangers telling people to do before they arrive? The May 18 advisory told visitors to plan ahead and park only in designated spaces. The park said illegally parked vehicles can block emergency access and damage resources, and warned that citations are possible. The park also directed visitors to use its alerts and conditions pages before and during their trip. Those pages carry current information on roads, facilities, trail conditions and temporary closures, including area-specific cautions that are separate from the holiday weekend advisory. (nps.gov) ### Did officials announce any new Memorial Day trail closures? The May 18 Memorial Day guidance did not announce a specific new trail closure tied to the holiday weekend. WATE’s May 20 report likewise focused on crowding, traffic and parking, and said visitors should plan ahead for busy conditions. The park’s current cautions page does list existing closures and warnings in some areas, including trail damage and temporary restrictions unrelated to the Memorial Day advisory. (nps.gov) That means visitors may still encounter limits in parts of the park even though the holiday warning itself was centered on congestion. ### Why is this warning coming now? May 20 coverage of the park’s guidance landed as AAA projected a record Memorial Day travel weekend nationwide, with more than 39 million people expected to travel by car. (nps.gov) Great Smoky Mountains National Park has long been a heavy-draw destination during holiday weekends, and the park’s advisory said visitors should build in extra time and patience. (nps.gov) WATE reported from Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, that the park’s message was straightforward: anyone heading into the Smokies for the holiday should be prepared for delays and scarce parking. ### What should visitors check next? Great Smoky Mountains National Park said the next step for visitors is to monitor the park’s official alerts, conditions and traffic pages before heading out. (wate.com) The park’s fees page also notes active alerts at the top of the visitor information stack, including temporary facility notices and parking-tag information. Memorial Day weekend begins May 23, and the park’s latest conditions pages will show whether any road, facility or trail status changes are posted before then. (wate.com) (nps.gov)