Cades Cove is a beautiful 6,800-acre valley in the National Park located near Townsend, Tennessee. It provides a representative sample of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's natural and cultural history as well as its recreational opportunities. Open fields lap against 5,500-foot mountain peaks. With more than 2.5 million visitors annually, it is the Park's most popular destination yet it isn’t “crowded‿. Most people come to these 6,800 open acres to observe the wildlife. But in addition to the wide variety of wildlife there are several historic buildings that date to the nineteenth century. They include a working gristmill, barns, three churches, pioneer log cabins, and frame houses.

This fertile valley, drained by Abrams Creek and its two main branches, supports a wide diversity of plants and animals. The valley floor has approximately 2,400 acres of largely open fields surrounded by forests. Currently, native grass and wetland restoration is being undertaken in the fields. Bison, elk, mountain lions, and wolves are among the animals that have populated the Cove. Whitetail deer are seen on almost every visit to the cove. Early morning or evening visits will always have a better chance for a variety of animals. Black bear and wild turkey are often sighted. River otters and barn owls have been reintroduced into the Cove; however, these secretive animals are seldom seen.

Cades Cove is about 26 miles from Gatlinburg. It will take you 45 minutes or so at a busy time to get there. It is a pleasant scenic drive through woods and beside mountain streams. The drive through the cove itself will take about one to one and a half hours. There are many lovely picnic spots throughout the cove.

To get to the cove go down Ski Mountain Road to the Parkway. Turn right and you are almost immediately in the National Park. Stop at the Sugarlands visitor center about one mile into the park. Buy the $1.00 guidebook for Cades Cove. Follow the signs to Cades Cove as you leave the visitors center. (The visitor’s center also has a lot of information on the area including displays with stuffed animals and the various floras from the Smoky Mountain area.) If you don’t get a guidebook at the visitor’s center you may be able to get one at the entrance to the cove. They have little “honor system‿ dispensers that have the booklet but sometimes they are sold out. You can, of course, go anytime but I recommend you plan on getting there 2 hours or so before dark. The road follows a loop for 11miles and brings you back where you entered. Deer are usually everywhere - like cattle grazing in the fields. Raccoons & wild turkey are common. Bear are a bit more rare. Watch the edges of the woods for the animals. They are most plentiful just before dark. Someday I plan on packing a lunch & spending a day just enjoying the Cove -- it is just beautiful!

NOTE: The one-way, paved road through the Cove is open from sunrise to sunset year-round but on Wednesdays and Saturdays from early May to late September the road is closed to motor vehicles until 10:00 am This allows a safe, quiet experience for bicyclists and pedestrians. On Saturdays in December the loop road closes to cars until noon.