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.

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.

The Tremont Experience in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

April 2, 2025
Uncategorized
No Comments
fishing in the Smokies, fly fishing, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, hiking in the Smokies, Little River Logging Company, Lynn Camp Prong, trout

… feeling great in TREMONT!

The Tremont ranger district is found in the northwest section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This former logging community is now home to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont which has a small visitor center and bookstore.

A self-guided Auto Tour, describing the amazing logging history of Tremont, is available. The tour is on a gravel road (closed in winter) for three miles beyond the Institute. A tour booklet is available from a box on the roadside.

Getting There

From Townsend – 2 miles via Laurel Creek Road.
From Cades Cove – 7 miles via Laurel Creek Road.
From Sugarlands Visitor Center – 17.5 miles via Little River Road to Laurel Creek Road at the Townsend “Y”.

Fishing in Tremont

Middle Prong Creek and all its tributaries feature an abundant wild trout population. A Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license is required within park boundaries and may be acquired at nearby communities or online from North Carolina at ncwildlife.org or in Tennessee at tn.wildlifelicense.com.

Hiking in Tremont

Lumber Ridge Trail – Climbs out of the drainage at Tremont Institute heading east 4 miles to its junction with Meigs Creek trail.
Lynn Camp Prong Trail – Begins where Tremont road dead ends three miles south of Tremont Institute. Lynn Camp Prong is a lovely walk any time of year with many fine views of waterfalls and cascades. From the trailhead walk south 1.3 miles to Middle Prong Trail or continue on to Lynn Camps terminus at Miry Ridge 3.7 miles from the parking area.
West Prong Trail – Beginning on the west side of the Middle Prong from Tremont Institute, West Prong strikes a path west 2.7 miles to its junction with Bote Mountain Trail.

Horses in Tremont

Lynn Camp Prong trail has ample parking for horse trailers three miles upstream from Tremont Institute. This trail is a former logging railroad bed wide enough for two horses to walk abreast. Lynn Camp Prong is a lovely ride any time of year with many fine views of waterfalls and cascades. From the trailhead ride south 1.3 miles to Middle Prong trail or continue on to Lynn Camp Prongs terminus at Miry Ridge 3.7 miles from the parking area.

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

This non-profit organization is the only residential education center in the National Park. Their partnership with the park allows them to work with park rangers and scientists to develop and deliver educational experiences like no other. The Smokies provide an awe-inspiring classroom through all four seasons for everyone ages 5 to 95. With a variety of excellent programs for schools, colleges and universities, the Institute also hosts adult and family workshops, teacher workshops, summer youth camps, and citizen science programs. The Institute at Tremont programs are a life changing experience for anyone, most especially a young person. For more information on programs and to register, visit gsmit.org. Financial aid is available.

Tremont History

The Tremont area was once a thriving community for generations of mountain pioneers. In 1901 the Little River Logging Company began buying land and a clear cutting frenzy began. For the next three decades they sawed, skidded, and hauled away one of the greatest old-growth, deciduous forests on Earth. Tremont was the last area of the National Park to be logged and almost two thirds of the trees were removed before the advent of the Park.

Cades Cove Handicapped Accessible Trail Open To Public

October 4, 2021
Events Favorite Featured
No Comments
Cades Cove, gsmnp, John Oliver cabin trail opens

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.”