Hiking in the Smokies

As part of Great Smoky Mountains 75th anniversary celebration, the Knoxville
Symphony Orchestra (KSO) will perform pop and light classical compositions during a 90-minute outdoor concert in Cades Cove on June 13, beginning at 3 p.m. Some favorites will include The Star Spangled Banner, Overture to The Cowboys, Beautiful Dreamer, Ashokan Farewell, America the Beautiful, selections from Sound of Music and more.

A vehicle pass will be required to attend the concert. Vehicle passes will go on sale tomorrow,
Saturday, March 28, at 9 a.m., and then again on Monday-Friday, March 30-April 3
between 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. until all passes are sold. Passes can only be purchased by calling
the KSO Box Office at 865/291-3310. Only two passes will be issued per person. The
cost of the pass is $25 for vehicles with up to a 15-passenger capacity and $50 for
vehicles with a capacity of greater than 15. Friends of the Smokies, who are sponsoring the event, will donate a portion of the sales to the Park.

Note that the vehicle pass, along with a receipt, will be mailed by the ticket office
and both are required for admission. These two items must be clearly displayed on the
driver’s side of the dashboard BEFORE entering the national park.

Cades Cove is located on the western end of the national park in Blount County near
Townsend, Tennessee. Historic cabins, farmhouses and churches that date from the 19th
and 20th Centuries are maintained in Cades Cove. The concert will be held in a large
open grassy field/meadow adjacent to the Cades Cove Visitor Center at Cable Mill,
located half way around the 11-mile one way Cades Cove Loop Road.

More information regarding amenities, parking, etc. can be found at www.greatsmokies75th.org

Access to the Symphony area will open at 10 a.m. and it is recommended that you arrive early.
All pass holders are encouraged to fill each seat in their vehicle. 1,500 vehicle passes will be issued with an estimated number of attendees expected at between 4,000 and 6,000.

The Cades Cove Loop Road to Hyatt Lane will be open from sunrise (around 6:30 a.m.) to 12 p.m for non-concert traffic. The Saturday morning bicycle closure will be cancelled. The far west end of the Cove will be closed at Hyatt Lane (the second crossroad) and motorists and bicyclists will be directed across the valley to exit Cades Cove. The detour will shorten the length of the trip to an 8-mile tour of Cades Cove. The Hyatt Lane bypass will eliminate access to the Cades Cove Visitor Center and Cable Mill area as well as the several trailheads located on the western end of Cades Cove. At 12 p.m., general access to Cades Cove will be terminated at the Townsend Wye near Townsend.

NOTE TO HIKERS:
All the trails on the western end of Cades Cove will be closed on Saturday, June 13, as they are located beyond the Hyatt Lane closure.
Trails along Laurel Creek Road – No access after 12 p.m, June 13.
Trails in the Tremont area - No access after 12 p.m, June 13.