The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a new program whereby you can receive updates on the status of the Park’s four most popular roads – Newfound Gap (US 441), Little River Road, Laurel Creek Road and Cade Cove Loop Road – via text message or Twitter.
Newfound Gap is covered in ice and snow in this photo from January. Park officials have started a program to notify the public of Park road closures via text message or Twitter. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather)
To receive notification via text message, text: follow smokiesroadsnps to 40404. To stop receiving the text message alerts, text stop smokiesroadsnps to the same number. If you subscribe by this method, the Twitter server may stop sending updates to you if they get an “undeliverable” response, such as your phone being off or out of area when an update is posted. If you think your phone has stopped receiving messages, simply send follow smokiesroadsnps to 40404 to re-subscribe. Standard text rates will apply.
The public can get that same information via the Internet by going to:
www.twitter.com/smokiesroadsnps to read recent road notification postings.
This is a Twitter website maintained by the Park, but anybody can access it at any time, without having to establish a Twitter account.
Anyone having a Twitter account can go an extra step and choose to have updates set to them by going to the site listed above and clicking the “follow” button to see the updates on their own account page and receive the notifications in the manner they specify.
In addition to notifications of winter road conditions, Park officials plan to notify travelers throughout the year of road openings and closings due to rock slides, fallen trees, and accidents. Anytime the status of one of the listed roads changes, a message will be sent.
-NPS
