Hi there!
Cades Cove is one of the most popular areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
THE thing to do in Cades Cove is the Cades Cove Loop Road! There are several different ways you can experience Cades Cove, depending on how much time you want to spend and how much effort you want to put forth!
I stayed overnight in Cades Cove (at the campground!) and it was during that stay that I experienced Cades Cove! Here’s what you need to know, along with a bunch of my pictures!
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1. Where to start Cades Cove Loop Road
Cades Cove Loop Road is on google maps.
If you are coming from Gatlinburg, then you can drive the Little River Road to Cades Cove.
For something easy to remember for google maps, you can make the “Cades Cove Visitor Center” your destination (map). This is actually about halfway along the Cades Cove loop road. But navigating here will get you to the start of the Cades Cove Loop Road.
The beginning of the one way loop road would be closer to the spot marked on google maps as the “Cades Cove information kiosk.” (map)
When I went the information kiosk had a self-guided auto tour guidebook that you could get for $1 cash.
It was also possible to find them at a Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitor center.
2. Cades Cove hours
It is officially listed that you can get started driving the loop at 8am, and ideally you’ll want to be off of the loop road shortly after sunset.
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3. How much time do you need to drive Cades Cove Loop Road?
So how much time you need for Cades Cove Loop Road will entirely depend on what you want to do in Cades Cove!
The drive itself is around 11 miles.
But it is a slow going one way road!
Some people are there to “only” drive the loop road.
Some people only stop at 1 or 2 of the historic sites.
Some people may only stop for the waterfall hike.
Others may stop at everything!
And so, at minimum, you will probably want to give yourself 1.5-2 hours.
If you were to drive the Cades Cove loop road straight without ANY traffic, you could drive it in less than an hour.
But it’s very likely that you will encounter slow vehicles in front of you.
Cars will practically come to a stop if they see a deer.
If someone sees a bear, you can almost definitely expect to come to a complete halt! And you might be one of those cars coming to a stop and holding up traffic too. 😉
On the day you drive Cades Cove… it’s important that you bring PATIENCE!
You will probably need at least 2-3 hours on the Cades Cove loop road.
4. There are car-free days on Cades Cove Loop Road!
If you want to drive Cades Cove Loop Road, you will have to be sure you check that you’re not going on a day that cars are not allowed!
In 2022, cars were not allowed on Cades Cove Loop Road every Wednesday from May to September. Check for current updates.
Otherwise, you can make a plan to go to Cades Cove specifically on Wednesday if you want to experience Cades Cove Loop Road by foot or bike!
Yes, biking Cades Cove is a thing! You can bring your own bike, or you can rent bikes at the start of Cades Cove Loop Road.
Yes, even walking Cades Cove is a thing! Although, you may not want to walk the whole thing!
It would be a bit much to walk the whole thing since it would be 11 miles of walking without any of the sides trips aka Cades Cove stops.
There is also a way that you can shorten it, as there are a couple of roads that cut through the middle.
For example, you can make it into a 4-5 mile half loop.
You can make it a loop at Sparks Lane.
You can walk or bike Cades Cove any day of the week.
But if you are interested in walking or biking Cades Cove, go on a Wednesday for the best experience!
There is a special feeling to be in Cades Cove without cars!
In the last couple of years, cars haven’t been allowed on Cades Cove Loop Road all day on Wednesdays.
Before that, it was closed to cars only in the mornings on Wednesdays.
So it seems they have shifted to keeping it car-free all day on Wednesdays, but again, check for updates!
5. Historic cabins along Cades Cove Loop Road
Cades Cove Loop Road is one of the best spots in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to see historic cabins! (There are some along the Roaring Fork Motor Trail too!)
There are a few historic cabins that you can stop off at along Cades Cove Loop Road.
One of them is the John Oliver Cabin.
You can take a walk from the parking lot to have a look inside a Cades Cove cabin to imagine what like may have been like in Cades Cove back in the day.
6. Waterfall hike off of Cades Cove Loop Road
You need to drive Cades Cove Loop Road to get to the start of one of the best waterfall hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
To get to the famous Cades Cove waterfalls, you’ll drive Cades Cove Loop Road until you get to the turnoff for the road to the Abrams Falls trailhead.
👆 The scenic views you’ll get driving from the Abrams Falls trailhead back to Cades Cove Loop Road.
And then you will hike the Abrams Falls Trail to get to the waterfalls!
This trail includes a few water crossings across a bridge.
7. Historic mill along Cades Cove Loop Road
And then there is also a historic mill that you can stop off at as you are driving Cades Cove Loop Road!
8. Camping near Cades Cove Loop Road
There is the Cades Cove campground!
This is one of the popular campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Cades Cove Campground is located just outside the start of the Cades Cove Loop Road.
There is also the Cades Cove campground store, available to all even if you’re not camping. This is near the Cades Cove bike rentals.
Quick tips!
There is only one spot to start the Cades Cades Loop Road.
You will start the Cades Cove Loop Road at the Cades Cove information kiosk.
Stop at the Cades Cove information kiosk so you can get a Cades Cove informational booklet for the cost of a $1 donation!
For navigational purposes, you can set your GPS to Cades Cove Visitor Center or Cades Cove campground to get to the start.
Once you get near, it will be obvious.
If you’re coming from Gatlinburg, the start of your drive to Cades Cove Loop Road will be Little River Road!
The drive along Cades Cove Loop Road is one of the most popular things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
It is one of the best scenic drives in the Smoky Mountains.
The Cades Cove Loop Road is a scenic drive of around 11 miles.
So it’s not long.
But it is a slow-going road.
The Cades Cove Loop Road is all about taking in the views and some things to see along the way!
And maybe see some bears! Cades Cove Loop Road is known as a spot in the Smoky Mountains where you have a chance to see bears!
So the first thing to know is that you can make Cades Cove simply about the drive without stepping foot out of your car.
You will get scenic views of Cades Cove from your car just by driving the Cades Cove Loop Road!
So you don’t actually need to get out of the car at all to see scenic views of Cades Cove.
But if you do want to make time for it, then there are small stops that you can make as you are driving along the Cades Cove Loop Road too!
And that’s a bit about Cades Cove Loop Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
See more:
- Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
- Little River Road
- Scenic drives in the Smoky Mountains
- Things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
HAPPY DRIVING CADES COVE LOOP ROAD!
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