Ramsey Cascades Trail closes on weekdays
Work has already begun on the Ramsey Cascades trail. Donated photo
The National Park Service (NPS) will close Ramsey Cascades Trail on weekdays while trail crews finish the full-scale rehabilitation work started in 2022.
The rehabilitation of this iconic Smokies trail is part of the Trails Forever program supported by Friends of the Smokies.
The trail will be closed Monday through Thursday each week, except federal holidays. The weekday closures will be in place from April 15 to Nov. 14. The only weekend closure planned is May 3-5 while trail crews replace a log footbridge.
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 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.
Significant flooding and storm damage caused the NPS to close the trail completely for several months in 2022 and early 2023. Trail crews rerouted 200 feet of trail, built and installed a new footlog bridge and built four new trail structures damaged by the flood.
