Cades Cove Gatlinburg TN | Great Smoky Mountain Eco Tours

Quick Details

Ages: Ages 6+
Duration: 5 Hours
Minimum Number of People: 3
Maximum Number of People: 13
Private Tours: Only you and your group will be on the tour.

Wildlife Disclaimer: It’s always exciting to see wild animals in their natural settings, but they are wild and always on the move in search of food, shelter and are not always visible! So being in the right place at the right time can yield some great moments, while other times yield nothing at all, please keep in mind that this is a wild and natural place that we visitors truly have no control over!

Take a Cades Cove Tour and Discover the Serene Views in TN!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is full of adventure, wonder, history, culture, flora and fauna, but very few places bring it all-together better than Cades Cove! Our guided scenic drives offer early morning sunrise or sunset timelines as these are the best windows to take advantage of Cades Coves abundant wildlife and scenic mountain views.

Our adventure starts with an interpretive, scenic drive along Wears Valley Road. We will travel through Wears Valley and its countryside, full of adventure and roadside stops, check out local carvers, moonshine tasting, food trucks, old general store, and other short stops can be added to our drive. As we head into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park we will pass through Townsend and enjoy views of the Little River, a short photo opportunity, then it’s on to Cades Cove as we travel along some of the most scenic countryside in the park. We will travel through 11 miles of history, culture, flora and fauna as we enjoy all Cades Cove Looped Road has to offer! Short out and back nature walks into the lives of early settlers and their homesteads, farms and churches as we explore and learn how settlers carved out a life. A stop at the Cades Cove Visitors Center will allow for much more than just a bathroom break! During the ride we will be on the lookout for wildlife like bears, white tailed deer, coyotes, turkey just to name a few and we will always observe and not disturb as we watch from 50 yards or greater via binoculars and field scopes provided!

Our adventure starts at your accommodation, or appointed pickup location, meeting your Father and Son guide team and loading up in our fully themed Ford Transit heading out of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge or surrounding areas, we will travel along Wears Valley road through Wears Valley which parallels the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As we travel through Wears Valley we will enjoy views of Round Top mountain, enjoy a stop at Myers Brother Farm, learn about history and enjoy its many roadside attractions, such as wood carvers, moonshine distilleries, old country stores, ask about flexible routes and short stops that can be added to your adventure!

Passing out of Wears Valley and into the Peaceful Side of the Smokies we will enter into Townsend as we travel alongside the Little River on Line Spring road and enter the park via the Townsend Wye. As we turn onto Little River Gorge Road and travel toward Cades Cove, we will view some of the most scenic landscapes in the park, rivers, streams, rock walls lined with trees, as we travel toward Cades Cove Loop Road, your guides will teach you about the wonders unfolding! Bathroom stop as we reach the entrance of Cades Cove Loop will allow for a quick stretch as we prepare to start our adventure along the 11 mile Cades Cove Loop Road!

Our interpretive scenic drive through Cades Cove will start with scenic views of mountains raising above Cades Coves isolated valley, which was home to numerous settlers before the National Parks formation, we will enjoy scenic mountain views, historical farmhouses, churches and an abundance of wildlife that can be viewed from a safe viewing distance of 50 yards or greater, via the right gear supplied, we will get up close and personal as we observe while not disturbing, white tailed deer, turkey, coyotes, even the black bears! Special Note: It’s always exciting to see wild animals in their natural settings, but they are wild and always on the move in search of food, shelter and are not always visible! So being in the right place at the right time can yield some great moments, while other times yield nothing at all, please keep in mind that this is a wild and natural place that we visitors truly have no control over!

Well preserved homesteads and churches will allow for us to walk back into early settlers history and culture as we enjoy short out and back walks into how life was lived in Cades Cove. Your guides will share their knowledge as we walk into and around these historical structures, several 15 minute stops will allow us to stretch while observing how the fertile valley floors allowed for productive farming, that would make way for a Grist Mill used to mill the corn that was sold at the general store. We will visit John Olivers Cabin, Missionary Baptist Church. At the halfway point on the 11mile loop we will stop at the Cades Cove Visitors Center for a bathroom break and stroll through historical structures of John Cable Grist Mill and
Becky Cable House learning as we step back in time!

After out short out and back walk come to an end, it’s all aboard and under way as we continue our Cades Cove Loop Road scenic drive, scanning the tree line and open fields in search of wildlife hoping to observe while not disturbing.

Our final stop and the last historical structure on the Cades Cove Loop Road, will be at Carter Shields Cabin, this small cabin was likely built in 1880 by William Sparks. Carter Shield a Veteran was crippled in the Civil War and would retire in this simple one bedroom cabin! Our walk around this beautiful clearing ends and it’s all aboard as we start our scenic drive back to your accommodation or point of pickup!