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Welcome to Cades Cove

Find out everything you need to know before you make your way to the premier Great Smokies’ destination

CADES COVE

Welcome to the most comprehensive Cades Cove site on the web. Here you will find everything you need to know about the Cades Cove and all of the amenities. Thanks so much for stopping by, and we hope that your Cades Cove trip is the best it can be.

Cades Cove is perhaps the most majestic area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  A deep, lush valley, it affords visitors some of the best wildlife viewing anywhere in the park.  Black Bears, White-tailed deer, coyotes, turkeys, raccoons, skunks, and many more animals call this area home.  The area is surrounded by the beautiful mountains of the Smokies and as a result, offers breathtaking views stretching across the vast open fields.

The Cherokee Indians used the area as a hunting ground for hundreds of years, but there are no signs that the cove ever served as a major settlement for the indigenous tribe. The Europeans first begin settling between 1818 and 1821.  BY the year 1830, the population had grown to a hardy 271.  As a result, Cades Cove enjoys a collections of historical buildings that are not matched anywhere in the GSM National Park.  An 11 mile loop runs the perimeter of the cove allowing bicyclist, walkers and motorists to enjoy the entire area as they make their way around the cove.

So Much to See and Do

Along the loop, there are three historic churches, a active grist mill, several historic barns, log homes, and other structures. 

Most of the buildings have undergone restoration, maintaining their historic features from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There are guide books available at the entrance road that provide in-depth details about the buildings and those that built them.

Visitors should expect to spend at least two to four hours touring Cades Cove, even longer you intend to walk the numerous trails along the way.  Please keep in mind that during the heavier tourist seasons the traffic can swell, so be sure to use the pullouts whenever you stop to view the gorgeous views or wildlife.  The cove is a wonderful place, and your courtesy makes it even better.