.Great Smoky Mountains National Park has closed for a minimum of two weeks due to the Covid-19 crisis. We have been expecting this announcement for a few days, but it still stings. All roads, trails, and access has been closed. While we haven’t been guiding much considering the time of year, we did have a few trips. Those were all done following a protocol we developed for everyone’s safety. All of our anglers drove separately from us to the water, brought their own drinks and food, and we all did our best to maintain a safe distance of at least six feet while on the stream and trail.
Charity fishing at Elkmont only a few days ago
Very few people were on the water and on the trails but some areas were very crowded. Those included Laurel Falls trail, Alum Cave Bluff trail, and Newfound Gap parking area and overlook. Furthermore we’ve been informed that several communities that border the park asked for the closure. They didn’t want people from other areas possibly spreading the virus into their small rural areas. Medical facilities are very small and larger hospitals are a considerable distance from Cherokee, Bryson City, Cosby and others.
We are very disappointed to say the least. This is not only one of our favorite times of the year to fish, but one of our busiest times of the year as well. Needless to say this will have a tough impact us, but we know we are not alone as all of our neighbors also work in tourism related jobs.
We have a few ideas and will be posting more often than we have been. Our objective is to post a “moment of zen” that highlights the beauty of fly fishing and the awesome places we do it. Stay healthy, stay strong, and stay tuned while we come up with some fun stuff for you!