More than a week after deadly storms, the Abrams Creek campground at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was back open Saturday.
Because the campground isn't as popular as others in the park, the area is especially popular with locals.By JESSA LEWIS
6 News Reporter
TOWNSEND (WATE) - More than a week after deadly storms, the Abrams Creek campground at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was back open Saturday.
"A lot of people from out of town don't really know about it. It's sort of tucked in on the western end of the park and people are more familiar with the campgrounds like Cades Cove or Elkmont or Smokemont on the North Carolina side, so it's sort of like a hidden gem and a lot of the local folks are aware of it and they make a lot of use of Abrams Creek Campground," explained Park Ranger Lisa Free.
Even though the spot isn't as widely known as Cades Cove, reopening the site is still significant.
"It's really great news now that Abrams Creek Campground is back open because it represents that the park is getting back to normal after the big storm event that happened over a week ago," said Free.
Free said the cleanup process has been a team effort, and that getting the park safe for visitors and fully operational has been a goal since the storms hit.
"The priority was to clear a lot of the trees that were blocking the roads so that people could physically get in along the roads," added Free.
Crews also had to trim overhanging trees to make sure they would not pose a future threat to park guests.
The same system of storms that caused the damage is also responsible for the deaths of two people in the park.
For the latest list of closures or warnings in the park, click here.
