The National Park Service (NPS) has an important message for anybody planning to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park this summer: Stay up to date for information about road closures before visiting.
That’s because significant roadwork totaling around $19 million will begin soon to reconstruct Lakeview Drive and repair Heintooga Ridge Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The 6-mile-long Lakeview Drive, which offers spectacular views of Fontana Lake, begins outside Bryson City, North Carolina. Heintooga Ridge Road, in the eastern part of the park, runs near Balsam Mountain.
“We are pleased to have this opportunity to rehabilitate and extend the life of some of our roads in North Carolina, in particular Lakeview Drive,” Alan Sumeriski, deputy superintendent at Great Smoky Mountains, said in a statement. “Funds from the Great American Outdoors Act will allow us to make critical repairs and improve access to popular park destinations in North Carolina.”
The Great American Outdoors Act, which was passed by Congress in 2020, provides funding to improve infrastructure and expand recreation opportunities in national parks and other public lands.
The Roadwork’s Impact On Visitors
The larger of the two projects will be the reconstruction of Lakeview Drive. That $18 million project, which will require a full road closure for 90 days, will begin later this summer.
“Work will include the complete reconstruction of the 6.5-mile-long road, replacement of all guardrails, construction of ADA-accessible parking spaces, new road signs, drainage repair, and other miscellaneous work,” according to the NPS.
During construction, visitors will not be able to access the Noland Creek Trail, Lakeshore Trail, Goldmine Loop Trail, Benton MacKaye Trail, or Lakeview Drive Tunnel from the road. However, cemeteries along Lakeview Drive will be accessible.
Meanwhile, road repairs on Heintooga Ridge Road are scheduled to be completed by September 30. That work will include roadway patching, crack sealing, and an asphalt pavement preservation overlay.
While the road will remain open during construction, visitors should expect temporary travel delays. Importantly, visitors will have access to Balsam Mountain Campground, a picnic area, and numerous hiking trails from Heintooga Ridge Road during the roadwork.
You can see the two roads, as well as all of the other roads around and within the park, on this map of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Know Before You Go
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in parts of Tennessee and North Carolina, features more than 800 miles of hiking trails, what the park calls “cascading waterfalls,” and more than 500,000 acres of forest home to a wide variety of wildlife — including approximately 1,500 black bears.
You can learn more about temporary road and trail closures at Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the park’s Current Road, Facility, Trail & Backcountry Updates webpage.
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