GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - The National Parks Service says restoration work on the popular Alum Cave Trail in the Smoky Mountains is beginning.
A statement says work on the two-year project to improve visitor safety and stabilize eroding trail sections begins Monday. The trail will be closed Monday through Thursday from May 4 through Nov. 19 to accommodate the work. It will remain open on weekends and federal holidays.
The work is taking place through the Trails Forever program, which is a partnership between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Friends of the Smokies.
Alum Cave Trail takes hikers to Arch Rock, Inspiration Point, Alum Cave Bluffs and Mt. Le Conte.
Hikers can still reach Mt. Le Conte, LeConte Lodge, and the Le Conte Shelter through other trails.
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