Visits into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park dropped by 18.7 percent for April 2011 when compared with April 2010. Park officials relate
Visits to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are down in April and in 2011 overall. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather)
the decline is due to the I-40 rockslide at the Tennessee/North Carolina state line that closed the interstate for many months. Year-to-date entries into the Park are down 9.2 percent from a year ago. Visits to the Park via the Cherokee entrance were down 35.6 percent from last year and visits via the Gatlinburg entrance saw a 21.5 percent decline. Visits from the Townsend entrance saw a 16.4 percent increase – the only increase reported.
– ONE FEATHER STAFF REPORT
