Wondering if you should travel to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg this week after the Hurricane Helene floods?
The area was largely spared of major damage. If you can get there safely, tourism officials say you are welcome with open arms.
Many sections of East Tennessee were ravaged by floods, but the flood-prone Little Pigeon River through Gatlinburg stayed within its banks.
There are some exceptions and challenges, of course. Consider these factors:
Check the highways on your route. Interstate 40 on the Tennessee-North Carolina border washed out. Five bridges in the state are gone, and others are closed because of damage. The roads through Sevier County, however, are intact and open.
Sevier County spokesperson Tyler Basler, who could only authoritatively speak on conditions in the county, not in individual cities such as Sevierville and Gatlinburg, said there were no major issues on county roads.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park leaders earlier this week were asking visitors to reschedule trips to the park, citing safety and staffing concerns. Some smaller roads and areas of the park were still closed as of Oct. 1, but U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road, the major road through the park, is scheduled to reopen by 8 a.m. Oct. 2.
Some specific neighborhoods in Sevier County don't have access to water, namely east of Pittman Center and Gatlinburg (more on this below). If you like to visit Cosby when you're in the area, please don't. That region was hit hard and doesn't have water, either.
Here are some more specifics on setbacks and positive things to think about when contemplating your trip:
Some neighborhoods are without water, but you probably already know from your hotel
Most of Great Smoky Mountains tourist areas have full access to water in the wake of Hurricane Helen floods, but communities just east of Gatlinburg and in Cosby might not have water for weeks.
Webb Creek Utility District provides drinking water and other utility services to 580 customers in Cobbly Nob, Cosby and Pittman Center, including hotels and resorts that are all currently without water. The district’s only water supplier is Newport Utilities Board, which has suffered severe damage to its distribution system due to the flooding.
“We’re just kind of waiting,” Webb Creek Utility office manager Karen Huffaker, told Knox News. “(Waiting) until they can get everything assessed and get a game plan going. Once they have a game plan, then we’ll have a better idea of when we’ll get water.”
The Newport utility is in a flooded zone and declared a state of emergency for all water operations. Treated water can't circulate to customers because of severe damage. Service will be restored gradually while repairs are made in the “coming weeks,” according to the NUB update.
Hotels and resorts in the affected area are sending notices to guests and canceling reservations, Huffaker said.
“There’s really nothing they can do,” she said. “They will have to cancel their reservations until we get water back because there's no way for us to get them water.”
Huffaker and her coworkers are still “in shock” over the impacts of Helene in East Tennessee. She advises visitors and homeowners to regularly check wcud.org and newportutilities.com for updates.
The Sevier County Water Department, which is separate, had no outages as of Sept. 30, according to Basler.
Power has (mostly) been restored
There were 212 verified power outages according to the Sevier County Electric System outages map the afternoon of Sept. 30.
Major attractions and restaurants are in fine shape when it comes to electricity.
Are Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge attractions open?
For visitors looking to enjoy some of the major attractions and themes parks, Dollywood, Anakeesta and WildSide are operating on regular schedules.
Dollywood's popular Harvest Festival is going on now.
Ober Mountain is open, too, and closures for specific activities at the adventure park are available at x.com/OberGatlinburg.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park still has a lot of closures
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on the other hand, still has roads, campgrounds and visitors centers closed this week because of damage and safety concerns, and visitors are urged to reschedule visits to the park.
It's complicated; the park needs repairs after the storm, and staff resources are limited as park employees in both North Carolina and Tennessee assist surrounding areas, attend to emergencies at home or are unable to drive to work due to closed roads.
Sevierville is busy welcoming visitors
If you’re able to safely drive down Interstate 40 and take the famous Exit 407 that leads to Sevier County attractions like Dollywood, you’ll find business as usual.
Drivers were filling up their tanks and eating Beaver Nuggets at Buc-ee’s, and along Winfield Dunn Park Way shopping areas were full including Smoky Mountain Knife Works and Smoky Mountain Gateway when Knox News drove through the area Oct. 1.
People were enjoying Margaritaville post-Helene, and The Island entertainment district in Pigeon Forge was active with shoppers and guests.
“In the City of Sevierville … our attractions are open, our restaurants are open and they’re ready to welcome guests,” Sevierville Visitors Bureau spokesperson Amanda Marr told Knox News Oct. 1. She also noted that city roads are clear and popular attractions have water and power.
Two campgrounds along the French Broad River did experience flooding, though, Marr noted. Ripplin Waters Campground and Two Rivers Landing are waiting for waters to recede.
The Sevierville Visitors Bureau and visitors’ center have been inundated with calls about hotel and campground reservations, local flooding and road access. But Sevierville is open for business.
“If you are planning to visit, so long as you can travel here safely and have a good route to get here, you know, there's no reason to cancel your plans (or) to change your plans, and we are ready to welcome you,” Marr said.
Local officials do suggest visitors call ahead to hotels and vacation rentals directly to confirm their status or if they had any damage related to Helene, though. And travelers are encouraged to use updated online maps to help find alternate routes with parts of I-40 shut down and other road closures.
“We always want our visitors to stay safe, stay aware of their situation, their surroundings, and kind of keep tabs on what's happening,” Marr advised.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Emaildevarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter@dturner1208.
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