October 15, 2020

Good Morning,

In the blink of an eye we’re halfway through October with Halloween quickly approaching. Yesterday the clouds finally stopped discriminating and allowed for open and abundant sunshine for all, making for a beautiful day across East Tennessee. It appears that will not be the case today as the gray veil has the upper elevations thoroughly socked in. There could be some intermittent breaks of sunshine at times today, but current conditions will likely persist in advance of the forecasted rain and temperature drop coming tomorrow. We’re starting off in the mid 40s and can expect to hover between there and the 50s today. Late this evening and into tomorrow morning there is a chance for rain showers. It won’t be nearly as warm come Friday, and the overnight low into Saturday could produce below freezing temps across all Park elevations. How that timing will coincide with any lingering precip of course has our attention.

A few notes about current Park closures in our area...
*The Trails Forever crews continue to rehab Trillium Gap Trail on weekdays Monday through Thursday. The work lasts until mid-November, so visitors will only have permission to use that trail for accessing the lodge on weekends.
*The backcountry shelter up the hill from the lodge remains closed to all users due to recent bear activity. Overnighters for the shelter who have not been notified by the Park or who have failed to do research before their hike should not rely on the lodge as a backup plan. Camping of any kind on lodge grounds is strictly forbidden, and our cabins are booked up well in advance by guests who have taken the proper steps to secure and pay for a reservation.
*Access to Brushy Mountain Trail from Greenbrier is closed to all users and has been since the spring. Signs are clearly posted at the start of Porters Creek Road. Visitors should respect this closure by the Park for a multitude of reasons, one of which includes visitor safety.