The National Park Service is looking for public input, regarding the potential addition of 9 miles to the Foothills Parkway of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Foothills Parkway is well-regarded by visitors as a beautiful drive. The proposed addition would extend the parkway from Wears Valley to the Gatlinburg Spur. Emily Davis, the public affairs specialist for the park, has said the proposed addition would allow visitors to see more of the park.
Davis noted that many visitors are coming to the Smoky Mountains for the scenic driving. As a result, any extra stretch of road that makes the scenery more accessible is a high priority for the park. Moreover, the Foothills Parkway is already regarded as an "exceptional opportunity" for visitors to see the beautiful mountains, making this potential addition all the more enticing.
Davis also noted that the parkway has been added on, a few miles at a time, since its construction began in the 1950s. According to the National Park Service, the parkway provides driving and biking opportunities to 400,000 vehicles a year.
Potential Addition to Smoky Mountains National Park
According to the WBIR, the National Park Service is looking for feedback prior to green-lighting the addition. As the nine-mile project does not yet have funding, commentary regarding the proposal has been welcomed by the Park Service. Davis said in a statement that construction of the addition could take up to 10 years. The decade's efforts would be performed with great intention to reduce environmental impact.
Davis gave assurances that the powers involved are already looking at "geography, botany, plants and animals." Moreover, Davis says such studies would continue through the construction.
The proposed addition is exciting, but not something out of the ordinary. Most recently, the Foothills Parkway added 16 miles from Walland to Wears Valley.
National parks have been in the news cycle all summer. With stories of lost visitors, and deceased hikers, national parks can at times feel daunting to visit, but mindful additions like that being proposed in the Smoky Mountains continue to make the areas more accessible.
