<< Back 11/6/02 Park announces winter operations schedule SMN The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced its winter season operations schedule. ° Visitors Centers — Starting Nov. 1, the Sugarlands Visitor Center two miles south of Gatlinburg will open daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The Oconaluftee Visitor Center, two miles north of Cherokee, will serve visitors from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Cades Cove Visitor Center located half way around the Cades Cove Loop Road will be opened daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ° Roads— Newfound Gap Road Tunnels Rehabilitation Project will resume during the period Nov. 4-26. Work will be permitted 7 days a week and will involve one lane traffic closures. No work will occur on the Nov. 11 holiday. During the winter months, the two main roads, Newfound Gap (U.S. 441) and Little River, will remain open throughout the year, except for temporary closures for extreme winter weather conditions. The Gatlinburg Bypass, Cades Cove Loop Road, Cosby Road, Greenbrier Road, Foothills Parkway (East and West), Upper Tremont, Little Greenbrier, Forge Creek, and Lakeview Drive will open and close as road conditions mandate. The following secondary roads will be closed as indicated: Balsam Mountain, Heintooga/Roundbottom, and Straight Fork closed on Nov. 1. Rich Mountain and Parson Branch Road will close on Nov. 14; and Clingmans Dome and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail on Dec. 1. For more information on winter weather road conditions, contact the Park at 865.436.1200. ° Lodging — LeConte Lodge will accommodate guests until Nov. 26, when it will close for the season. ° Camping – Two of the three major campgrounds will remain open all year: Cades Cove in Tennessee and Smokemont in North Carolina. Starting Nov. 1, they will be on a self-registration basis. Elkmont in Tennessee will remain open through the Thanksgiving weekend and will be closed on Dec. 1. Balsam Mountain campground is closed for the season and the six remaining self-registration campgrounds closed Nov. 1. ° Picnicking — Six picnic areas will remain open through the winter: Chimney Tops, Cades Cove, Cosby, Greenbrier, Metcalf Bottoms, and Deep Creek. ° Stables — The Smokemont, Cades Cove and McCarter’s riding stables are closed for the season. The Smoky Mountain Riding Stable will continue service until Dec. 2 if weather permits. ° Horse Camps — All auto-accessed horse camps closed for the season on Nov. 1. For more information call the Park at 865.436.1208.