Parts of Great Smoky Mountains National Park To Remain Closed for 2013 Due To "Sequestration"

Heintooga Road and Balsam Mountain Areas among others remains closed For 2013

Magnificent Bull Elk in closed area of GSMNP (2012).

Young Wild Turkeys along Heintooga Road (2012)

The Heintooga Ridge Road, Balsam Mountain area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will remain closed for the 2013 season due to the 5% budget cut imposed on the National Park Service as a result of the ongoing sequestration. A recent news story covers the other areas of the park that are closed as well. There is plenty of blame to go all around, but its a shame that one of the areas of the GSMNP where visitors can go to view wildlife especially elk, wild turkey and bears in a natural setting and have a real nature experience is closed! This is my favorite area of the park because, sorry, I don't want to go to a park and see crowds of people. Over 3 million people visit the park each year, the most visited in the Nation, and probably about 90% of them never stray more than a few hundred yards from the main road through the park  - so if the Park Service were going to make cuts that impact the fewest people it follows that the remote, less-used  areas would be closed first. Whether such closures are really necessary at all is another story. Let's just hope that this budget situation gets straightened out for Fiscal Year 2014!

Magnificent Bull Elk in closed area of GSMNP.

Young Wild Turkeys along Heintooga Road