Local, state governments forming plan to fully reopen Great Smoky Mountains National Park

From WATE Knoxville: With the federal government shutdown impacting America’s most visited national park, local governments in Tennessee and North Carolina are working on a plan to fully reopen Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

While the park remains accessible, including main roadways, amenities like the Sugarlands Visitor Center and Cades Cove Loop Road are closed as a result of the shutdown. Local and state governments have been collaborating since last week to provide financial support to fully reopen all areas of the park.

The State of Tennessee, the State of North Carolina, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians among the partners working together. Local governments of Sevier County, Blount County, Cocke County, Gatlinburg, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Pittman Center are also working to find a solution.

A Sevier County spokesperson said the partners are working on finalizing details of an agreement and additional information will be released soon. Areas of the park that are currently closed can be found on the National Park Website.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park welcomed over 12 million visitors last year and visitor spending in the region topped $2 billion. A recently-released report found that 95.2% of visitor spending was made by non-local visitors to the Smokies, with 76.3% in Tennessee and 23.7% on the North Carolina side.