![]() ![]() Take the exit for National Park / Gatlinburg Bypass. It takes approximately 1 hour to reach Cades Cove from Gatlinburg, Tennessee.įrom Pigeon Forge, take Highway 321 South towards Gatlinburg. Continue straight to enter the one-way Loop Road. ![]() At the Sugarlands Visitor Center, take an immediate right onto Little River Gorge Road, which becomes Laurel Creek Road.įollow this road for approximately 25 miles. Directions to Cades Cove from Gatlinburg, Tennessee & Pigeon Forgeįrom Gatlinburg, take Gatlinburg Parkway / Highway 441 South into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To learn more about how to get to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including nearest airports and driving directions to Gatlinburg, Townsend, and Cherokee entrances, check out this guide here. Townsend, Tennessee is the closest town and entrance to Cades Cove. There are multiple entrances to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but most visitors enter through the Gatlinburg, Tennessee entrance, the Townsend, Tennessee entrance, and the Cherokee, North Carolina entrance. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is not accessible by public transportation, which means most visitors must drive or fly then drive to Cades Cove, inside the Park. ![]() Planning a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park? The Great Smoky Mountains Itinerary Guide has your perfect 1, 2, or 3 day Smoky Mountains trip completely planned for you! With over 20 pages of detailed hiking guides, printable daily itineraries, lodging and dining suggestions, you can spend less time stressing and more time making epic memories! Check it out, here.Ĭades Cove is located in the Northwest corner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in Tennessee. Over 10 historic structures are preserved within the Cove, including settler’s homes, historic barns, churches, and even a working mill.Ī trip to Cades Cove is an opportunity to step back in time and immerse yourself in the beauty and history of pioneer-Appalachia. The area was first settled by Europeans in the early 1800s, and several families remained living in the Valley through the Park’s formation in 1926. The Cherokee used the Valley as a village and occasional hunting camp starting by the 1700’s. The erosion left a huge, fertile valley, ideal for farming and surrounded by gorgeous mountains now known as the Smokies. The Valley was formed by millions of years of erosion of the soft sandstone that once filled the Cove. Over 5 million visitors a year come to Cades Cove, making it the most popular destination in Great Smoky Mountains. If you like my review, I hope you'll click the 'helpful' button those of us who write reviews live for those and it motivates us to do more.The Cades Cove Loop road is an 11 mile scenic drive through the wide Cades Cove valley. Note this area gets frequent bear activity in the fall & we saw one, so be on the lookout. Also getting into/ out of Cades Cove is problematic due to high traffic. This is not our favorite hike in the park & I would encourage others to do the easier hike to Grotto or Laurel Falls instead for a less strenuous hike that has waterfalls also. The wooden bridge is wide enough but just take your time. Note: there are 3 - 4 bridges to cross with a sturdy handrail on one side only. Needed equipment: lots of water, snacks, good hiking boots due to the numerous roots/ rocks on the trail & a first aid kit. Even though the parking is large it fills quickly. This is an extremely popular trail so get here early. I think it’s harder doing the return trip as the uphill’s seem steeper. The trail makes numerous up/ downs over hills so be prepared. It took us around 4 hours hiking time total plus an hour at the falls, but we do not walk quickly stopping to take many pictures. We had stopped hiking this trail due to the unsafe bridges & steep inclines. ![]() The trail improvements make a huge difference as the trail is a lot safer now with the numerous steps & improved safer bridges. Thank you GSMNP & Friends of the Smokies, for the recent improvements to this trail. The first half of the trail, you have the beautiful sights of the river beside you. The uphills felt harder on the way back, but probably just because we were more tired!Ī couple areas, you are stepping up or down rocks, sometimes a bit wet and slick. This trail is NOT straight up to the falls. I found my trekking poles helpful on the inclines, mostly the downhill, to take a little pressure off my knees. Saw one bear, no snakes! Black flies were feasting on me the back half-totally left my husband alone. Even so, with my pack, I was sucking wind for the long uphills. I am 46 and a bit overweight, but do interval and strength training. Just bring one you can wear around your neck and quickly pull it up, please! About 15% of people had masks when in close quarters. What a beautiful hike! Please wear masks when you pass people or are hiking behind/in front of them. ![]()
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