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Cades Cove
ONE OF THE SMOKIES GREATEST TREASURES
Cades Cove is a beautiful valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s a living museum with many homes, barns, churches and other structures that were built during the rising of the community. You can visit and walk through most of the buildings along the 11-mile, one-way loop that you can drive, bicycle or walk. On your journey, you will see the homesteads of early settlers like Elijah Oliver and John Cable.
You’ll also see churches that were quite important to the lives of the cove’s residents. You can stop by the Visitor Center near the midpoint of the 11-mile loop, along with several remaining historical structures of pioneer life. Stop and take pictures of the unique corn mill, sorghum mill and blacksmith shop to remember your visit.
When touring the cove, be sure to stretch your legs and explore the wonders of nature with a walk through the woods or with a refreshing hike. At the loop’s midpoint you’ll find the trail head to Abrams Falls. It’s a 2.5mile, one-way hike that takes you along the banks of Abrams Creek to a beautiful waterfall. It’s the perfect hike to have quality time with your family and friends without any distractions.
Cades Cove is the home of scenic beauty and abundant wildlife. Rolling green pastures are framed on all sides by foothills and towering peaks. Blooming wildflowers and flowering bushes grace the valley and hillsides. Grazing cattle, horses, white-tailed deer, turkey and even the famous black bear can be seen in Cades Cove. The cove is one of the best places to see black bears. With approximately
1 bear per square mile, you have a good chance of seeing one in the early mornings or in the evenings. These are the best times to see wildlife as those are the times that they are usually grazing for food.
Back in the 19th century, the land was first used as Cherokee hunting grounds. It was acquired by the State of Tennessee and parceled out to white settlers. The cove was originally called “Kate’s Cove,” named after the wife of Cherokee Chief Abrams. From the mid-1800s until the establishment of the national park in the late 1920s, the area was a thriving frontier community, at one point reaching a peak population of 685. Cades Cove is located approximately 25 miles west of Gatlinburg and 16 miles from Townsend, Tennessee. Cades Cove embodies all the best that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has to offer. While vehicles are usually the quickest means of touring Cades Cove, it’s not your only option. Many people take on the loop as a hike, while others prefer experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of the cove on bicycle. Enjoy “Vehicle Free Wednesdays” May through August, 2022. September, 2022 through April, 2023 Cades Cove loop is open to vehicles seven days a week.
For more information go to www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/cadescove.htm.
Let Best Read Guide Smoky Mountains help point you in the right direction by visiting www.brgsm.com to get great deals and coupon offers along with all the information to make your time here the “BEST”.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is America’s Most Visited National Park. Be sure to take a trip here when you visit Sevierville, Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg You will be amazed at all of the colors that unfold around you while viewing the wonders of God’s creations. Whether it’s Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, the Great Smoky Mountains has a little bit of everything including abundant wildlife, and invigorating hiking trails
Directions on how to get to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is very easy. Just go south on the Parkway Highway 441 through Gatlinburg and straight into the Park If you are not sure where you want to go or what you want to do, stop at the Sugarlands Welcome Center and talk to one of the Park Rangers They will point you in the right direction Even if you have no destination in mind, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a wonderful place to drive through.
The Foothills Parkway offers a breath taking scenic drive through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park The southern part of the parkway is 17 miles traveling from US 129 at the Chilhowee Lake to US 321 at Walland which was completed in 1966. The next stage to this section was recently added in December of 2018 running another 17 miles from US 321 in Walland to Wears Valley, TN
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is
500,000 acres of diversified forests, mountain streams, historic buildings, unique plants and flowers, and a wide assortment of animals indige nous to the park. Deer, Elk, reptiles, amphibians and of course the Black Bear, all live in the Park The roads through the Park are well maintained and you can drive to most of the historic and scenic locations in the Park. Take a trip with your family and friends to the top of Newfound Gap where you can look one way to Tennessee and the other to North Carolina
You don’t need to be a hiker to enjoy the Park but there are 850 miles of well marked trails for you to enjoy. Some are short, paved trails, and some will make you feel the burn There are also several driving trails in the Park including the 11 mile loop through Cades Cove near Townsend, and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail that can be accessed from Gatlinburg at the end of Motor Nature Trail
For more information on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park you can visit their web site at www.nps.gov/grsm or call 865 436 1208 to speak to a Ranger.
Let Best Read Guide Smoky Mountains help point you in the right direction by visiting www.brgsm.com to get great deals and coupon offers along with all of the information to make your time here the “BEST”