The Smokies are Ready for Campers!

On Friday, March 10th, a number of concessions, campgrounds, riding stables and roads are scheduled to open after being shut down for the winter.

Included in the secondary roads that are set to reopen are Little Greenbrier, Rich Mountain and the Roaring Fork Nature Trail. Clingmans Dome Road is set to open April 1, and the Heintooga Ridge Road will follow on May 12.

Work is still being done on Balsam Mountain Road and it will remain closed until the work is completed on the low-water crossing at the junction of Straight Fork and Balsam Mountain Roads. Hopefully the road will reopen by July 21. Parson Branch Road also remains closed because of damage from flooding and it is expected to reopen by the 2007 season.

Newfound Gap Road on the North Carolina side of the park between Collins Creek picnic area and Newfound Gap is being repaved, and visitors can expect one-lane closures during weekdays but not on weekends.

Reservations can be made at three of the park’s developed campgrounds (Cades Cove, Elkmont and Smokemont), plus group campsites, horse camps and picnic shelters. Reservations can be made up to five months in advance of your trip by calling 1-800-365-2267 or by internet at http://reservations.nps.gov.

Horseback riding is available at four stables in the Smokies at a rate of $20 per person per hour. The Smoky Mountain and Sugarlands Riding Stables are to open March 15, followed by the Cades Cove Riding stable on March 17 and the Smokemont Riding Stable on April 1. Buggy rides and hayrides are also offered by Cades Cove Riding Stables and there are also ranger-led hayrides open to the public.

LeConte Lodge will open March 20. Reservations are required way in advance of your planned stay and can be made by calling 865-429-5704 or by emailing at: reservations@lecontelodge.com. One night at the lodge costs $89 per adult and $72.50 per child 10 and under, tax not included. The price includes two meals, dinner and breakfast.

The park has 10 picnic areas available on a first-come, first-served basis. Open all year round are Big Creek, Cades Cove, Chimney Tops, Cosby, Greenbrier, Deep Creek and Metcalf Bottoms. Collins Creek will be open March 10, and Heintooga and Look Rock are scheduled to open on May 12. The park’s largest picnic pavilion at Twin Creeks opens May 1, on a limited basis because of construction of a new science lab. The Twin Creeks pavilion will be available only on weekends and federal holidays for this season. Reservations are required and can be made through the National Park Reservation Service. Fees range from $35 to $75 depending on the number of people in your party.

Family Campgrounds open on a staggered basis March 10. Fees range from $14 for the more primitive, smaller campgrounds like Look Rock and Abrams Creek: $17 at the more developed campgrounds like Cataloochee and Deep Creek: and $20 to $23 at Cades Cove, Smokemont and Elkmont between May 15-October 31, 2006.

Campers have an opportunity to stay in “generator free” sections of campsites for the 2006 season, and the “generator free” sites are at Cades Cove, Elkmont and Smokemont. State your preference clearly when making reservations