HikingFiles private POC: trail evidence Research date: 2026-10-28. Only first-party National Park Service sources supplied facts for trails.json. Descriptions are short original paraphrases, not copied trail guides. Interpretation - "check" means consult NPS before traveling. Absence from the closure list does not establish that a route is open, safe, accessible, or inspected. - The source-check date records this desk review, not a field inspection or ongoing feed. - All durations are editorial planning estimates, not NPS guarantees. They include a modest allowance for stops and span roughly 1–2 walking miles per hour, depending on terrain. Laurel's estimate describes a potential future trip only and must never override its closed state. - Easy/Moderate are editorial classifications based on the NPS terrain and route descriptions. They are not an official NPS grading system. No route is certified suitable for a particular person. - elevationFeet is null throughout: no verified elevation gain for these exact segments was established. Do not interpret null as zero. - dogs means pet dogs. NPS separately permits qualifying service animals wherever visitors may go. Pet permissions require leashing (maximum 6 feet) on the two permitted routes. Source: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/pets.htm Status evidence https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm The page was last updated October 27, 2026. Laurel Falls rehabilitation closure remains; an anticipated 2027 reopening is not a promised date. The page lists a bear warning on Trillium Gap, spelled "Trillum" there. Grotto uses that route, so its status is caution. Cherokee Orchard pedestrian restrictions also appear; do not suggest walking that access road. The four other selected routes have no specific closure established by this review, so their status is check. NPS states its list cannot cover every field condition. Distance and route evidence Gatlinburg: https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-the-gatlinburg-trail.htm Use the visitor-center itinerary's approximate 4-mile return distance. NPS also lists 1.9 miles one way in its compendium; differing starts and rounding should not imply surveyed precision. The record follows the visitor-center route, including roadside sections, before the wooded trail. Oconaluftee: https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-the-oconaluftee-river-trail.htm Use its approximate 3-mile return outing from the visitor center. The compendium describes the complete trail as 1.6 miles one way. This record retains the route page's rounded trip description, not a precise end-to-end measurement. The route page supplies the elk separation guidance. Comparison source for Gatlinburg/Oconaluftee: https://home.nps.gov/grsm/learn/management/compendium.htm Sugarlands Valley: https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/walk-sugarlands-valley-nature-trail.htm The page identifies a half-mile paved loop. Its parking paragraph has a US 411 typo while its image caption says US 441. trails.json uses the road name, Newfound Gap Road, to avoid reproducing the erroneous number. Do not confuse this trail with Sugarlands Mountain Trail. Grotto: https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-to-grotto-falls.htm The current page's caption and overview say 2.6 miles roundtrip from Trillium Gap Trailhead, but its Length section says 4 miles. The record no longer chooses either distance: miles and durationMinutes are null, and it is withheld from route matching. Both values remain visible in the source-conflict notice. This discrepancy remains unresolved; verify before guest use. The page establishes seasonal road access, stream crossings, roots, rocks, inclines and pet prohibition. No "open" assertion is made. Secondary context: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/svc-itinerary.htm The older itinerary gives Grotto a two-hour hiking time. The POC does not display a duration estimate while the current route-distance conflict remains unresolved. Arch Rock: https://www.nps.gov/places/arch-rock.htm This exact turnaround is 1.4 miles one way / 2.8 miles return. Do not substitute the longer Alum Cave Bluffs or Mount LeConte outing. The page supplies the rock passage, stone steps, trailhead and parking limitations. Moderate is editorial, not an NPS rating for this segment. Laurel: https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-to-laurel-falls.htm The route page gives 2.6 miles roundtrip and confirms rehabilitation closure. Route specifications describe the established outing, not permission to enter, and may change during rehabilitation. Current closure evidence takes precedence over older itinerary suggestions. Hero image, reuse and attribution Recommended asset metadata: https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/426fab76-5c04-4433-986a-a2498b987862 Direct original JPEG: https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/426fab76-5c04-4433-986a-a2498b987862/original.jpg 3072 x 2048 landscape photograph of Great Smoky Mountains ridges; original filename grsm_mountainridges_8831.jpg. Metadata identifies NPS staff as photographer, National Park Service as publisher, and "Public domain" as Constraints Information. Credit line: "Photo: National Park Service." This is a general park image, not a depiction of any particular trail or current conditions. Alternative autumn asset with explicit public-domain metadata: https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/887AA77B-1DD8-B71C-0703F1C9E94CCA71 Do not reuse Laurel's route-page photo under the NPS assumption: it is credited to Smokies Life. General NPS image-usage explanation: https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery-item.htm?gid=8B8B53E3-B70A-4278-92B5-BA2B5D5E85F4&id=533c3912-bfbd-4174-8027-c5fc3f94ba0a Publication notes The guide should identify itself as independent, link official updates, display the check date, and preserve closure/caution notices in printed and shared selections. No live conditions integration, ranger review, trail inspection or automatic monitoring has been completed. These six source-backed records demonstrate a maintained-guide workflow. Accuracy revision, October 28, 2026: primary route pages, pet rules and current closure page were independently re-read. Closure source now reports last updated October 28. Grotto and Laurel are withheld from matching. Remaining four records have concise factual summaries and claimSources pointers; estimates are labeled and unknown elevation remains null. Matching suppresses records older than four days or lacking a valid review date. Dates are never automatically refreshed.