Cades Cove is a scenic valley surrounded on all sides by mountains south of Townsend, Tennessee. A popular 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. Cades Cove Loop Road is open sunrise to sunset each day, but closed to vehicles each Wednesday from May through September.
The 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. Show 10 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 and By , the population of the area had already swelled to 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.
