The Cades Cove Experience in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The 6,800-acre valley comprising Cades Cove, one of the most visited areas of the park, provides a glimpse of a bygone mountain lifestyle. Travel in your car or truck (no RVs or commercial vehicles) on a one-way, 11-mile paved loop road. Sightings of deer, turkeys, black bears, coyotes, ground hogs, raccoons, butterflies, and other animals are exciting and common.

Great Smoky Mountains Sunrise in Cades Cove

A Great Smoky Mountains Sunrise in Cades Cove.

Those seeking an out-of-the-vehicle experience may enjoy cycling the loop or hiking the many trails found in Cades Cove. One of the most popular hikes is to the picturesque Abrams Falls. Midway of the loop, the Cades Cove Visitor Center, home to the John Cable Grist Mill, the Gregg-Cable House, a Cantilever Barn and other farm buildings, is the perfect place to pause. Grassy meadows and banks of the babbling stream provide great picnic venues. Graveyards, located beside several historic churches in the cove, bear mute testament to early residents.

 Cades Cove Need to Know

  • The path into the cove is open from sunrise to sunset year-round.
  • It can sometimes take more than four hours to complete the 11 mile one-way loop during the busy summer and fall seasons, and on most weekends. Sparks Lane and Hyatt Lane offer shortcuts out of the cove.
  • The road is closed to motor vehicles each Wednesday each May to late September.
  • The loop is closed to cars until noon each Saturday in December to allow bicyclists and hikers a quiet journey. Bike rentals available at the Campground Store. Enjoy an ice cream cone from the Campground Store too!
  • Cades Cove Riding Stable offers guided trail rides on horseback, hayrides, and carriage rides from early March through late November. For more information and prices, visit CadesCoveStables.com or call 865-448-9009.
  • A self-guiding booklet is available for a small fee at the Orientation Shelter at the beginning of the loop.
  • Cades Cove Picnic Area has charcoal grills for cooking or consider packing a basket for a picnic in the cove. Don’t forget a blanket and chairs.
  • Please pack out all your trash!
  • Bring binoculars for optimal wildlife viewing.

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Cades Cove Handicapped Accessible Trail Open To Public

New John Oliver cabin trail opens in GSMNP!
New John Oliver cabin trail opens in GSMNP!

Cades Cove Handicapped Accessible Trail Open To Public. National Park officials celebrated the completed trail accessibility project in Cades Cove at the historic John Oliver Cabin. The new trail meets standards of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) and provides access for visitors of all ability levels to one of Cades Cove’s most popular historic homesites.    

“The work of making our parks more accessible for all is so important,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “Now all visitors have the opportunity to leave the roadway and be more fully immersed in the Cades Cove story through a trail experience within the historic landscape.”

The trail provides a unique view across the pastoral fields associated with the home of John and Lucretia Oliver, Cades Cove’s first European settlers. The family settled in Cades Cove in 1818. The path provides fantastic wildlife viewing opportunities for deer, turkey, bears, and grassland birds. The half-mile, paved trail is approximately eight feet wide to provide adequate space for wheelchairs and other mobility devices to pass one another. Funding for the project was made possible through a $150,000 donation provided by the National Park Foundation and a $57,000 donation provided by the Friends of the Smokies.  

“It is such an honor to partner with Superintendent Cash and his staff in helping fulfill this vision of making park experiences more accessible,” said Sharon Pryse, Board of Directors Chair for Friends of the Smokies. “We’re grateful for the donations of all our ‘Friends’ who make it possible for us to support special park projects.” 

 “The new trail provides a pathway for all to experience the natural wonder and history of Cades Cove,” said Will Shafroth, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “Thanks to the initiative of Friends of the Smokies and support from NPF and our donors, more people will be able to access and to share the beauty of this place.” 

Cades Cove Car Ban

Cades Cove Car Ban!
The Cades Cove car ban will allow walkers, runners and bikers an opportunity to enjoy the Cove without the congestion and noise of cars.

Cades Cove car ban. Smoky Mountains officials announce the extension of the pilot project in Cades Cove continuing vehicle-free access on the Cades Cove Loop Road on Wednesdays from May 5 through September 1, 2021. Park managers implemented this weekly, full-day opportunity in 2020 in an effort to improve the visitor experience. The project reduces congestion associated with vehicle-free mornings that were previously offered until 10:00 a.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

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Cades Cove Car Ban

Cades Cove car ban implemented by Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

National Park officials announce the implementation of vehicle-free access on the Cades Cove Loop Road each Wednesday beginning June 17, 2020 through September 30, 2020. This move is being called a “pilot study” to improve the visitor experience. For many years vehicle free hours have been each Wednesday and Saturday mornings until 10 a.m. during May through September. The park proposed the study due to congested parking areas and disruption of visitor services associated with the vehicle-free periods.

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