KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- The rocks just keep falling in East Tennessee.

The latest rockslide happened sometime late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning on Little River Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Townsend in Blount County.

An 8-mile stretch of Little River Road between Townsend junction, also known as the 'Y,' and Metcalf Bottoms is now shut down due to a rockslide in the Smokies.

For businesses in the area, it's a double blow, and it was an unexpected greeting for tourists to the park.

"My plan is shot!," laments J.P. Gradone of Birmingham, Ala.

"I been here 20 years, and I've never seen anything near like this," says Bob Miller with the Park Service.

SUV-sized boulders on Little River Rd. are causing detours and forcing a plan B.

"We're gonna find out what plan b is first," Gradone says.

Also shut down is Cades Cove. The reason: road work. The popular Cades Cove Loop Road is being repaved.

"We're having Cade's Cove withdrawal right now because we can't get there," said Douglas Kidd of Kodak.

So, why so many rockslides?

"We had a very rainy year last year and then we went thru a cold patch of freezing and thawing and freezing and thawing and that tends to loosen up all the rock layers," Miller explains.

Park rangers say there's no telling how long it will take to clean up the mess, which could have a major impact on businesses in the area.

"It's tough out there, this makes it even tougher," says Rocky Top Country Store owner Dan Junion.

Rocky Top County Store, in business for 15 years, has seen revenue dip 20 percent because of rockslides and a slumping economy.

"It's a double whammy," Junion says.

But Junion is still hopeful officials can clear the rocks in time for the summer tourism season.

Work to stabilize boulders will be first priority, but the Park Service doesn't have the right equipment to do the work. They'll have to hire contractors.

Until a contract is executed and awarded, they can't say for sure just how long the road will be closed.

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- A rock slide has shut down part of Little River Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The closed stretch of road is between Gatlinburg and Townsend, near the area known as the "Y" near Metcalf Bottoms.

Park officials say debris is blocking both lanes of traffic.

The slide was discovered around 2 a.m. Thursday morning.

No other information is available at this point.

Stay connected to Volunteer TV and VolunteerTV.com for further details on the rock slide, clean up and detours.