A year after Helene, mountain landslide closes popular Smoky Mountains road
A year to the day Hurricane Helene arrived in North Carolina, a mountain landslide closed a popular road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, rangers said Saturday.
“The Gatlinburg Bypass is closed until further notice due to a large landslide that occurred Saturday morning following heavy rainfall,” according to a post on the park’s social media channels around 3 p.m.
“The road is currently impassable, and park officials are actively assessing the situation,” rangers said.
No injuries or close calls were reported.
The bypass is a 3.6-mile road around Gatlinburg in Sevier County, Tennessee, at the edge of the park.
Helene caused “substantial” damage in the park, particularly in North Carolina, including Balsam Mountain, Big Creek and Cataloochee Valley, park officials said at the time.
The storm flooded creeks, toppled trees and washed out roads, especially in Cataloochee Valley, where all trails became impassable.
On Sept. 12, the park reopened another busy road “after a major washout” Aug. 1 – U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road.
This story was originally published September 27, 2025 at 4:30 PM.