Great Smoky Mountains National Park bans all campfires; 700 fires in NC since Nov. 1

Ryley Ober, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read

The National Park Service has banned all campfires and charcoal use in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Nov. 16, effective immediately, due to continued dry conditions and high fire danger, officials say.

The fire restriction, which expands the previous ban on backcountry campfires, will be in effect until further notice for both the North Carolina and Tennessee sides of the park, according to an NPS news release.

With 14.1 million visitors, 2021 marked the most visitors ever for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as camping increased 40% in "frontcountry" camping areas, and 20% in backcountry areas.
With 14.1 million visitors, 2021 marked the most visitors ever for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as camping increased 40% in "frontcountry" camping areas, and 20% in backcountry areas.

“Campers, backpackers and visitors using picnic areas may continue to use cookstoves with compressed gas canisters and gas grills that have an on/off switch,” the release said. “Stoves and grills should be attended at all times.”

The NPS asks all visitors to use extra caution while on public lands when fire danger is increased, including on national parks and national forests in North Carolina and Tennessee.

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“The NPS is working with multiple area agencies in response to current and predicted weather and fuel conditions,” the release said.

The Great Smokies is the most visited national park in the country, with 12.9 million visitors in 2022. It covers a half-million acres of rugged, heavily forested terrain on the Western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee border.

In November 2016, the Chimney Tops Fire, which started inside the park, was whipped by strong winds into nearby Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where it killed 14 people.

Burn bans are in effect across WNC. The Blue Ridge Parkway has a backcountry campfire ban in place. Backcountry campsites are closed in nine N.C. state parks.

As of Nov. 16, 704 fires have burned on state and private lands in North Carolina since Nov. 1, according to the N.C. Forest Service.

See a map of fires burning across Western North Carolina at https://data.citizen-times.com/fires.

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Great Smoky National Park bans all campfires; fire danger still high