Cades Cove loop will close for pest control for a couple days this week. Starting Wednesday, December 1 park managers will close the loop to all vehicles to treat hemlock trees infected by the hemlock woolly adelgid. During the closure on December 1st, only hikers will be allowed to travel the Loop Road. The spraying operation on December 2nd will only impact the western end of the Loop Road. Motorists and cyclists will be able to enter the Loop as they normally would, but will have to detour across the Loop via Hyatt Lane (the second gravel crossroad) to exit Cades Cove. Hikers can continue through the closed portion. The detour will shorten the length of
the trip to an 8-mile tour of Cades Cove.
The Hyatt Lane bypass will eliminate access to the Cades Cove Visitor Center and Cable Mill area as well as the several trailheads located on the western end of Cades Cove:Abrams Falls, Cooper Road, Rabbit Creek, and Wet Bottom Trails, and Gregory Ridge trailhead. Read more about the treatments and closure here.