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National Park Service temporarily closing trail at Great Smoky Mountains for rehabilitation work

The Ramsey Cascades Trail will be closed on weekdays from April 15 to November 14 for rehabilitation work.

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The National Park Service is temporarily closing the Ramsey Cascades Trail at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to finish rehabilitation work that started a few years ago.

According to the National Park Service, the trail will be closed Monday through Thursday each week, except for federal holidays.

The closure starts on April 15 and will be in place until Nov. 14. The only planned weekend closure is from May 3 to May 5. 

"Trail crews will repair tread surfaces, improve drainages, construct trail structures such as staircases, turnpikes, and retaining walls and remove trip hazards like exposed roots and rocks," the Great Smoky Mountains National Park said in a release.  "The rehabilitation will improve overall trail safety and protect the park’s natural resources. Located in the Greenbrier area, the popular four-mile Ramsey Cascades Trail is the only way to access the 100-foot Ramsey Cascades, the tallest waterfall in the park."

NPS said flooding and storm damage caused closures on the trail in 2022 and 2023. 

Crews have been able to build and reroute the trail and build several new structures alongside it, that had been damaged by the flood. 

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