Cades Cove

Perhaps one of the most visited areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cades Cove offers visitors a taste of the rich cultural history and abundant natural beauty of the area, all within an 11 mile paved loop that can be traveled on foot, on horseback, on bicycle, or by car.

Formerly home to the Cherokee Indians and early European settlers, Cades Cove retains the picturesque, quiet landscape and centuries-old architecture that entices over 2 million visitors each year. Farming was a way of life for settlers who first arrived in Cades Cove in 1818, and original structures such as a smithy, smokehouses, corn cribs, churches and a cantilevered barn still stand among the grassy fields, rolling hills and lush forests. The 1830s ushered in the Indian Removal Act and “Trail of Tears” from 1838 to 1839, in which thousands of Cherokees were removed from the area and relocated west of the Mississippi. Just two decades later the inhabitants of Cades Cove were embroiled in the divisive politics of the Civil War; most residents were Union sympathizers and found themselves on the receiving end of neighboring Confederate harassment. At the turn of the century, Cades Cove’s primary industry turned from farming to logging; by 1930, approximately two-thirds of what would later be designated as Park land was clear cut. Growing concern with the environmental impact of logging led to the Park movement in the 1920s, which culminated in the congressional establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934.