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Thanks Ed and Pam!

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Click the Park Service emblem for a live webcam view from Purchase Knob in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  

Excessive Speed. Driving up hill (and to a lesser extent, downhill) at speeds greater than 15 MPH damages our road system regardless of how safe it seems to be to go faster. Because of the steepness of the grades this damage is inevitable no matter how careful one is. PLEASE OBSERVE THIS SPEED LIMIT TO HELP SAVE EXPENSE OF ROAD MAINTENANCE.

 2WD versus 4WD. Again, due to the steepness of roads, 2WD vehicles do most of the damage to our roads. Without realizing it, 2WD vehicles kick up the road bond and cause “wash boarding” more than twice as much as 4WD vehicles. Whenever possible or practical, please leave your 2WD vehicles at Blackberry Lane and ferry guests up the mountain using 4WD vehicles.

· Switchbacks. Always drive on the outside (high side) of the switchbacks. Driving on the inside (low side) of the curve causes a lot of damage to the roadway regardless of whether you are in 2WD or 4WD. This does not seem to be a natural practice for most drivers and there are safety precautions necessary to avoid oncoming traffic, but if done correctly, it will save the POA a lot of repair expense.

Most of these issues are caused by or the result of the steepness of our roads and there is generally not much we can do about that problem except as mentioned above. But we can, if we concentrate and remember these warnings, modify our driving practices to minimize the damage by going slow, using 4WD and driving on the outside of the switchbacks.

Thanks for your consideration of these warnings!

 Let me take this opportunity to urge those of you who do not have an automatic gate opener to contact Bill Sanislow (828-400-1621) and purchase one for $30.  It saves time and avoids having to keep up with gate code changes.

2016 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report

2020 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report