The National Park Service is improving the visitor experience at Laurel Falls Trail, one of the most frequented trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Having completed an Environmental Assessment (EA), the park has approved the Laurel Falls Trail Management Plan. This comprehensive plan addresses aspects such as visitor safety, trail rehabilitation, and parking.
Following an analysis of the EA and consideration of public comments, the NPS has chosen a proposed course of action. This plan grants park managers the flexibility to:
- Resurface and widen the trail.
- Construct a new viewing platform.
- Install new signage at the trailhead and along the trail.
- Build a broader bridge at the upper falls.
- Expand and enhance designated parking spaces.
- Introduce a shuttle service and implement a timed-entry parking reservation system for the trailhead.
The park aims to execute this plan and commence trail and trailhead improvements in 2024. During this time, the trail is anticipated to be closed for a minimum of 18 months. Funding for certain construction activities near the trailhead and parking lots will be sourced from parking tag revenue. Currently, the NPS does not have a specified timeline for the implementation of the timed-entry parking reservation system.
In 2020, the trail drew over 375,000 visitors who hiked the 1.3-mile path leading to a picturesque waterfall near the Gatlinburg entrance.
Additional information can be found at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/LaurelFalls.
