Why Everyone Loves Cades Cove
5 great reasons why everyone loves Cades Cove and you should visit:
Cades Cove Loop
The Cades Cove Loop is 11 miles of beautiful mountain scenery along with a bear or two… if you’re lucky to see one! Cades Cove Loop is a one lane road that is usually open to drivers, cyclists and pedestrian traffic from sunrise to sunset. The route is limited to 20mph but offers several pull offs and parking lots to stop and take in the scenery.
Traffic can become heavy during the summer months but the slow pace is well worth the majestic mountain scenery, great views of the wildlife and the ability to explore historic landmarks and buildings. During your visit to this incredible historic area, you can stop and walk through the old churches, buildings and structures and see how the settlers lived in the early 1800’s.
Most families favorite experience on the loop is packing a picnic, finding the perfect spot to stop and enjoy a great lunch with a view!
To learn more about touring the loop in Cades Cove, check out: Cades Cove Loop
Cades Cove Hiking Trails
There is a wonderful reason why the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most visited in the United State: Phenomenal Hiking Trails. With so many great trails to hike in the Smokies, it is difficult to pick just one. We suggest checking out the trails in and surrounding Cades Cove!
Must Hike Cades Cove Trails:
- Abrams Falls
- Rich Mountain Loop
- Spence Field
- Laurel Falls
- Gregory Bald
- Lynn camp Prong Cascades
As with any hiking adventure, we suggest you bring along plenty of water and a great camera! The trails in Cades Cove feature many wonderful photo opportunities and offer a delightful hiking experience.
For more great information on Cades Cove Trails you can check out Cades Cove Hiking Trails
Cades Cove Historic Settlements
Cades Cove is one of the most visited areas inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With it’s rich past as well as natural and historic beauty it’s easy to see why. Cades Cove has not always been a place to just visit for a day, for many it was a place to live. More than 100 years before the park was established, European settlers arrived and settled the area that is now known as Cades Cove. Before The European settlers arrived, the Cherokee Indians utilized the valley extensively for hunting deer, elk, bison and bear.
Upon their arrival in the early 1800’s, the European settlers built log homes, barns, smokehouses and other structures that they needed to survive and flourish in this beautiful mountain valley. Around this time a Baptist and Methodist church was also built and are still standing to this day!
Currently the NPS maintains and manages the Cades Cove Historic Area with the goal of preserving it’s history and keeping the structures accurate to the days of the early settlers. Most peoples favorite thought when exploring the historic structures is “I wonder what it was like growing up here in the 1800’s?”
To learn more about the history of Cades Cove and it’s settlers check out the: History of Cades Cove
Cades Cove Wildlife
The Great Smoky Mountains National park is flourishing with wildlife! Chances are almost anywhere you choose to visit inside the park, you will see some of it’s magnificent wildlife. One of the most popular areas to view wildlife is Cades Cove. The Loop winds through a beautiful mountain valley with lots of fields and meadows along with timber which is just the kind of home wildlife loves! So as you drive the loop or perhaps while you are stopped on one of the many pull-offs, you have a great opportunity to see many different types of the parks wildlife.
The Cades Cove area of the park is a favorite for great reason, it’s considered one of the best places to view Black Bears! With approximately 1 bear per square mile, you have a good chance of seeing one of the park’s most iconic animals in full view. The highest probability to see one of these incredible bears it’s best to visit during the morning or evening hours.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to many types of wildlife. Some of the larger species include the majestic elk, deer and black bear. It is also home to some smaller species such as turkey, squirrel, foxes and many others. The park also offers some wonderful bird watching opportunities. The park and areas surrounding are home to a great population of Bald Eagles and offer a great opportunity to see this magical bird of prey in it’s natural habitat. It is also home to other bird species that make for an exciting adventure during your day out.
We encourage to you remember some very important points while visiting the park and Cades Cove. Make sure to keep your distance, while the animals may not seem timid, they definitely are still wild! Remember these animals are not pets and are not trained. Always keep your food put away and out of reach of curious bears. Please do not feed the animals, as this can lead to them being harmed. We hope you enjoy watching the animals, it is a special treat to spend some time touring Cades Cove and getting to see nature as it was hundreds of years ago.
To find out more about the wildlife inside the GSMNP and Cades Cove, check out: Cades Cove Wildlife
Cades Cove Mountain Views
Cades Cove offers unmatched views of the Great Smoky Mountains. The views from Cades Cove are a favorite among visitors and photographers. Cades Cove is a gorgeous place to have a photo shoot. You can’t beat the beautiful natural mountain backdrop to add atmosphere to any photograph or occasion. The spectacular views and scenery afforded in this area of the park are nothing short of breathtaking.
With beaming waterfalls, plentiful wildlife, numerous hiking trails and lush scenery it’s not hard to see why everyone loves Cade’s Cove!
To learn more about the natural waterfalls and views from Cades Cove, check out this great page: Cades Cove Scenery
