Abrams Falls Trail Closes on Weekdays Through Late September

Planning to hike out to Abrams Falls, one of the most popular trails in Great Smoky Mountains? There's a scheduling detail worth sorting out before you lock in your plans.

The park has started work on the trail. The crews are replacing aging footlog bridges, the small wooden spans that cross the creeks and whose structure has worn down over the years. The goal is clearly hiker safety, since thousands of visitors cross these bridges every season.

In practice, the trail is closed Monday through Thursday. It stays open to hikers on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Labor Day, the early-September holiday Monday that's a big deal across the United States, is the exception and stays open despite the usual Monday closure. This schedule runs through September 30, after which things should be back to normal.

For you, this mostly changes how you map out your week in the park. If Abrams Falls is at the top of your list, put that hike on the weekend or the holiday, and save the weekdays for other routes. Always check the official postings at the visitor center that same morning, since the work can move faster or slower than planned.

Good news: Great Smoky Mountains has plenty of alternatives to fill your Mondays through Thursdays. Forest trails, overlooks of the misty ridges, and easier waterfalls are spread across both sides of the park, between Tennessee and North Carolina. To plan the rest of your trip and find the trails open on weekdays, lean on the Great Smoky Mountains park guide, which rounds up the highlights and the practical tips.

Bottom line: the Abrams Falls dream is still on. You just need to aim for the right day.