Always calling the Park’s information line to get road condition updates and weather information? Now visitors to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park can sign up to receive status updates about the park’s most frequently used roads via text message or on Twitter.
Previously travelers had to place phone calls to the Park to determine the status of the roads, which change frequently with changing weather conditions. The Park’s recorded information line receives over 1,000 calls per day during severe winter weather about road conditions. When all of the incoming lines are in-use, the calls rollover to the park’s Communications Center staff, often resulting in more than 600 calls to be answered.
Those who wish to be notified of the status of the Park’s four most popular roads —Newfound Gap (U.S. 441), Little River Road, Laurel Creek Road, and Cades Cove Loop Road — can opt to get text messages to their cell phones by texting follow smokiesroadsnps to 40404. The public can get that same information via the Internet by going to: twitter.com/smokiesroadsnps to read recent road notification postings. If you have a twitter account, be sure to follow and you will automatically see the updates in your newsfeed.
In addition to notifications of winter road conditions, park officials plan to notify travelers throughout the year of road openings and closings due to rock slides, fallen trees, and accidents. Anytime the status of one of the listed roads changes, a message will be sent. Get more information about Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and a link to the Twitter site. Information on all of the roads in the Park as well as other Park information may be obtained by calling the park’s information line at (865) 436-1200 and following the prompts.