Cades Cove

NPS Photo

Cades Cove is a scenic valley surrounded on all sides by mountains south of Townsend, Tennessee. A popular 11-mile one-way loop road encircling the valley provides access to hiking trails, opportunities for wildlife viewing, and chances to explore the many historic homesites, cemeteries, and churches. The area also holds a visitor center, campground, picnic area, and riding stable.

 

 

 

Are you too close? Approaching wildlife endangers both humans and wildlife. Even turkeys have been known to attack humans in the Smokies, so be a friend to wildlife, and keep your distance.

Smokies Life Graphic/Emma Oxford

Touring the Cove

Cades Cove Loop Road is open sunrise to sunset each day, but closed to vehicles each Wednesday typically from May through September. (2025 dates: June 18 - September 24)

The 11-mile, one-way loop road circles the cove, offering motorists the opportunity to sightsee at a leisurely pace. Allow at least two to four hours to tour Cades Cove, longer if you hike some of the area's trails.

Traffic is heavy during the tourist season in summer and fall and on weekends year-round. While driving the loop road, please be courteous to other visitors and use paved pullouts when stopping to enjoy the scenery or view wildlife.

Download the NPS mobile app and check out the self-guided Cades Cove driving tour for an interactive experience.

 

 

 

Visitor Center & Campground Information

 

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History

The valley has a rich history. For hundreds of years, Cherokee Indians hunted in Cades Cove but archeologists have found no evidence of major settlements. The first Europeans settled in the cove sometime between 1818 and 1821. By 1830, the population of the area had already swelled to 271. Cades Cove offers the widest variety of historic buildings of any area in the national park.

Scattered along the loop road are three churches, a working gristmill, barns, log houses, and many other faithfully restored eighteenth- and nineteenth-century structures. Pick up the self-guiding tour booklet available at the entrance to the loop road for information about the buildings you'll see in the cove and the people who lived here.

 

Cades Cove Story
Learn about farming, home life, religion, and recreation in the fascinating history of this beautiful, lively mountain community. Contains historic photos.

 

Self-Guiding Auto Tour Booklet Cades Cove
Keyed to numbered posts or landmarks along the Cades Cove Loop Road, this tour booklet describes the history of the Cove and describes the homes, barns, churches, Cable Mill, and other historic buildings you'll see in the area. It features historic photographs and illustrations that show what life was like a century ago.

 

Day Hikes In and Around Cades Cove
Map and guide with descriptions of the nine best day hikes in the Cades Cove area. Full color topo map and elevation charts.

 

Visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park's official online store for books, maps, and guides to the park. Operated by the nonprofit Smokies Life, proceeds generated by purchases at the store are donated to educational, scientific, and historical projects in the park.