Great Smoky Mountains: Kuwohi Road Closed Two Mornings in September

If you're planning to head up to the Kuwohi Observation Tower this month, mark two dates on your calendar. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closing Kuwohi Road and the trail to the tower the morning of Thursday, September 10, and again the morning of Tuesday, September 15. It has nothing to do with weather or construction. On both mornings, the park is hosting educational programs reserved for students from Swain County and Qualla Boundary schools.

The closure actually starts the evening before. Each time, the road and parking lot close at 8 p.m. the night before the event and reopen by 2 p.m. that same day. So on the nights of September 9 and 14 you won't be able to use the road anymore, and the mornings of the 10th and 15th will stay closed until mid-afternoon.

For you, the plan is simple. If your visit falls on one of those two days, aim for the afternoon. Park after 2 p.m. and give yourself some cushion, since the reopening is announced "by" that time, not necessarily right on the hour. The rest of the week, access to Kuwohi isn't affected by any of this. Keep in mind, too, that at this elevation the mornings run cold and are often socked in with fog, so going in the afternoon isn't just a constraint. Sometimes it's better light for the view from the tower.

These closures are one-off and limited to those two windows. They don't change anything else about your itinerary in the park. To fit your other stops around these two mornings and spot the access points that stay open, lean on the Great Smoky Mountains park guide, where we walk through the main areas worth visiting. A little planning around these two dates, and you'll keep Kuwohi on the agenda without any nasty surprises.