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The subject of this article is located on these scenic highways.
I had been to Cades Cove, Clingmans Dome, Cosby, driven the 39-mile Foothills Parkway that few seem to know about, Fontana Dam, Roaring Fork, and Greenbrier. Although some of these destinations were remote, they were easy to drive to from Gatlinburg, Townsend, or Cherokee. But after years of driving, hiking, camping, and tubing, there was still one place I had not visited in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
I had never been to Cataloochee Valley.
In 2020, after years of thinking to myself, I’ll visit there one day, I finally visited. Leaving Gatlinburg, Townsend, and Cherokee behind – my three preferred places to stay while visiting the national park – I headed for Waynesville for a single night. The following day, veins full of caffeine from a morning replete with local coffee, I drove into Cataloochee Valley for the first time.
It was everything I had hoped to find, nothing like what I expected, and left me thinking, I need to visit one day again.
The official National Park Service app is an all-in-one tool for planning a national park adventure and finding your way around the park. The app has information about every national park site across the country, essentially putting all the online information at your fingertips.
The free app features interactive maps, self-guided tours, amenities like restrooms, and lists of things to do. The powerful app has an offline mode – with a single tap, you can save the park for offline use to access all the information later. You’ll also have access to important information like alerts, contacts, fees, and operating hours.
How to use this map: Click the icon in the top-left corner to open the Map Legend, then click on any of the legend items to display more information. If you have a Google account, click the star beside the map’s name to save this map to your account, then access the map from your smartphone during your trip.
Learn about the annual celebration of the National Park System and read my travel guides to national park units across the country.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created in 1926 when President Calvin Coolidge signed an act by Congress to establish two national parks on the east coast. Tennessee and North Carolina contributed $2 million for purchasing land, along with $1 million in private donations and $5 million from the Laura Spellman Rockefeller Memorial Fund.
Buying the land was a slow process. It took eight years for the states to finally transfer 300,000 acres across the Great Smoky Mountains to the National Park Service. From 1934 until 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps built picnic shelters, bathrooms, visitor centers, and carved hiking trails to waterfalls, scenic overlooks, and mountain tops.
In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated to the park. With no admission fee and within a one-day drive of 70% of the country’s population, Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains one of the most-visited national park sites.
At the end of the Revolutionary War, there was a rush of settlers moving west. Colonel Robert Love, a land speculator, was one of the first to explore Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains. He divided the land into home sites and sold them to eager families.
In 1834, Hendry Caldwell purchased a large tract and moved his family into the valley. He would not be alone. By 1910, nearly 1,200 people lived in the valley, making it one of the largest communities in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Families in the valley provided for all their own basic needs. They maintained farmland for vegetables, pastures for beef, and orchards for fruit. They raised churches for weekly Sunday School and monthly services from circuit-riding pastors. They built schools for teaching basic reading and writing.
But when word spread in the late 1920s that North Carolina was purchasing all the land throughout the mountains for a new national park, the families left the valley. By the 1930s, few remained. The last holdouts were eventually bought off, and the valley was left unoccupied for the first time in a century.
Cataloochee Valley is the most remote section to visit in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are no gift shops, gas stations, restaurants, or visitor centers in the valley. Visitors need to be more prepared for visiting that section of the national park than any other.
It’s easy preparation, it just takes foresight – and this list. So here are a few things to consider before hitting the road into Cataloochee Valley:
Turn-by-turn directions to Cataloochee Valley are deceptively brief. From US Highway 276, turn onto Cove Creek Road, continue to Old Cataloochee Turnpike, then turn onto Cataloochee Entrance Road. It’s only a ten-mile drive, but it will take half an hour.
The quickest route is to take Exit 20 from Interstate 40. Almost immediately, turn right onto Cove Creek Road. The two-lane, paved road passes several homes as it begins a gradual, curvy climb over a mountain ridge. Halfway along the ten-mile drive, the paved road ends, and travelers are left with crunching gravels beneath their tires. That road is well maintained and drivable by two-wheel drive personal vehicles.
READ MORE: Day Trip on the Cades Cove Loop Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
There is another option for the more adventurous drivers who enjoy long, scenic drives. From the Cosby Campground in Tennessee, take Route 32 around the base of Mount Camerer, across Mt. Sterling, and through Little Cataloochee to Cataloochee Entrance Road. The 25-mile route of narrow, curving paved and gravel roads takes almost two hours to drive.
No. 1
After turning onto Cataloochee Entrance Road, a scenic overlook appears on the right. A short two-minute walk leads to the top of a hill with a moderate view of the mountains surrounding the valley. Despite the name, you cannot see the valley from the overlook.
It’s still an excellent first stop during an adventure into Cataloochee Valley.
No. 2
At its peak, nearly 1,200 people lived in Cataloochee Valley. Many homes, barns, churches, and schools have disappeared among the forest since the inhabitants left. But several historic buildings were preserved by the National Park Service. Five of the historical buildings are located along the roads in the valley, while the others can be seen along the Little Cataloochee Trail.
Jarvis Palmer was the grandson of George and Nancy, the first generation of their family to live in Cataloochee Valley. In the early 1900s, Palmer built a stick frame house, one of the youngest structures remaining in the valley. When the national park was established, the Palmer House was used as a ranger residence for many years. Today, the dilapidated house is open to the public for a brief walk through.
No. 3
The Boogerman Trail is a challenging 7.3-mile loop trail. It begins at a rustic log footbridge near the campground. The trail gradually ascends nearly 1,200 feet near the midpoint – making it an equally challenging trail to hike in either direction.
Bookmark: Save the Boogerman Trail on AllTrails
No. 4
In 2001, the National Park Service began an experiment to reintroduce elk in the Great Smoky Mountains. A herd of 25 elk was gathered from the Elk & Bison Prairie at the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, transported to Cataloochee Valley, and released into the wild. A year later, another herd of 27 elk was released into the valley.
Elk were native to the Great Smoky Mountains. But deforestation during the peak of the logging industry of the early 1900s ended the wildlife’s existence in the mountains. Since the initial herds were released into Cataloochee Valley, they have grown to nearly 200. They are thriving again in the mountains.
There are no enclosures or zookeepers. The elk are not fed or groomed. They are just as wild as the bald eagle, black bear, and squirrel.
Viewing the elk is easy. Seeing the elk is more complicated.
The herd travels throughout the valley, deep into the forest, and along the river. For days, they can only be seen along hiking trails or in a far corner of the valley. But other times, they spread across the open field within sight of the road.
READ MORE: Viewing the Elk at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
On those days, typically early in the morning or late in the evening, dozens of elk can be spotted grazing in the field. Viewing them from the side of the road – please remember to pull your vehicle to the side of the road – is the best place to see them. The National Park Service recommends visitors always remain at least 75 feet from wildlife.
The best – and most common – place to view the elk in Cataloochee Valley is a large field past the campground.
No. 5
The Palmer Chapel was built in 1898 as the valley’s population began to boom. Mary Ann Palmer donated the land for the Methodist church. Although the valley’s population eventually reached a peak of around 1,200 people, it never supported a full-time minister. Services were held monthly – and sometimes not even that often.
The chapel is visible from the road as you drive through Cataloochee Valley. There are a few pull-off parking spaces near the building. A large parking lot at the end of the road offers more places to leave your car.
It takes about 5 minutes to walk across the grassy field to the church. The church’s entrance faces the Cataloochee Creek. The doors are open and visitors are allowed inside during business hours throughout the summer. But in the off-season, the church is typically closed.
No. 6
The 9.2-mile out-and-back Palmer Creek Trail is one of the shortest trails in Cataloochee Valley. The trail begins at a large parking area at the end of the valley. It’s typically the furthest point people can drive.
Bookmark: Save the Palmer Creek Trail on AllTrails
The trail follows Palmer Creek as it gradually ascends over 1,800 feet. The trail ends at Heintooga Ridge Road – it’s one of the park’s seasonal one-way roads.
Hiking the entire trial out and back takes about 5-6 hours, although many people camp in the backcountry.
No. 7
In 1901, the Beech Grove School was built to serve the growing population of families in Cataloochee Valley. The two-room school remained open until a few years after the Great Smoky Mountains National Park opened.
The school is less than a five-minute walk from the parking lot at the end of the valley. During the summer months, the doors are usually open for visitors. Inside, 1930s era desks and a blackboard adorn the rustic schoolhouse.
No. 8
The 10.2-mile out-and-back Little Cataloochee Trail is the most challenging trail in Cataloochee Valley. The trail begins on the Palmer Creek Trail less than a mile from parking lot.
Bookmark: Save the Little Cataloochee Trail on AllTrails
The trail features a steep ascent of nearly 2,400 feet to its highest point at 3,782′ near Bald Top. After reaching this zenith, the trail descends to its end at the Old Cataloochee Turnpike, a daunting alternative route into Cataloochee Valley.
Learn about the annual celebration of the National Park System and read my travel guides to national park units across the country.
No. 9
At first glance, the Hiram Cadwell House seems woefully out of place in the rugged Cataloochee Valley. Cadlwell built the house from 1903 until 1905 during the surge of families into the valley.
The two-story, nine-room farmstead house with wrap-around porch seems impossible. What’s even more impossible is the realization the building materials came locally.
The Hiram Caldwell House is about a ten-minute walk from the parking lot at the end of Cataloochee Valley. The house sits in a small cove of trees back from the road. Visitors cross a wooden boardwalk over Rough Fork Creek to reach the house.
The house is sometimes open to the public during business hours in the summer.
No. 10
The 12.3-mile out-and-back Rough Fork Trail is the longest in Cataloochee Valley and one of the most strenuous to hike. The trail begins about a mile from the parking lot at the end of the valley, adding to the already lengthy hike.
Bookmark: Save the Rough Fork Trail on AllTrails
The trail features a gradual ascent of almost 2,300 feet and follows the top of a ridge for about 1.5 miles. After the initial ascent, it’s a pleasant hike in the woods along the trail. The trail ends at Heintooga Ridge Road.
Hikers typically spend a night camping in the backcountry while completing this trail.
The Cataloochee Campground is one of the nine front country campgrounds throughout the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Located in the middle of Cataloochee Valley, this campground offers a secluded and peaceful getaway from the typical hustle and bustle of the rest of the park.
The campground features 27 campsites that can accommodate small travel trailers and tents – RVs are not allowed. There are no hookups or showers like the other campgrounds in the national park. A fire ring, picnic table, and bathrooms are the only amenities.
Find more information and book your getaway at https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233284.
The Cataloochee Valley Campground is a great place to stay for campers, but what about everybody else? Gatlinburg is too far away for a day trip to the valley. Cherokee is even a bit of a stretch requiring nearly three hours of driving back and forth.
I recommend staying in Waynesville, Maggie Valley, or Lake Junaluska while visiting Cataloochee Valley.
Quality Inn & Suites ironically does not have any suites, but they have comfortable rooms with an outdoor swimming pool. Located in Maggie Valley, the hotel adds about 15 minutes to the drive time to Cataloochee Valley.
Best Western in Maggie Valley is a good choice for a budget motel in the area. Rooms feature two queen beds or a king bed and updated furnishings.
Comfort Inn is one of the newest hotels in Maggie Valley. The hotel features an indoor swimming pool, rooms with one or two beds, and some rooms with comfortable couches.
Located in Waynesville, the Days Inn is the closest hotel to Cataloochee Valley that I recommend. Balconies offer a commanding view of the nearby mountains, but it’s not exactly peaceful beside the busy US Highway 74. The motel features rooms with one or two beds and some rooms with an additional sleeper sofa.
Grandview Lodge is an interesting place to stay. It’s located about ten minutes south of Waynesville in a residential neighborhood. The lodge is a gorgeous log home with several guest rooms. The rooms include one or two beds.
Overlooking Lake Junaluska, the Lambuth Inn is one of the most comfortable hotels in the region. The hotel doesn’t offer many amenities, but the guest rooms are comfortable with one or two beds, including rooms with two twin beds perfect for traveling families. Be sure to book a room with a lake view.
The Terrace at Lake Junaluska offers gorgeous views of the lake through large picture windows in all the lakeside guest rooms. The hotel offers rooms with one or two beds and an outdoor seasonal pool.
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3 Responses
We love to read about different places to see . We do love the smoky mts., but never been to catalogee valley. We are retired now,so hopefully will venture over that way.thx. Also do u know anything about the Bryson city railroad ? Love some info!
Gloria, I have not been on the scenic railroad in Bryson City yet. It’s still on my never ending bucket list! But I do know Bryson City is a charming town with lots of great restaurants and local retail shops, and I’ve never heard a bad review of the scenic railway.
Love this, Jason! We have not been to the Cataloochee Valley portion of the park, and now we want to go! Very informative post and wonderful photos. Thank you for sharing.