Tennessee and North Carolina
Newfound Gap and Cades Cove
About this adventure route
Newfound Gap Road climbs 3,000 feet from Gatlinburg to the Tennessee and North Carolina line at 5,046 feet, passing through what is effectively a compressed version of the forest types between Georgia and Maine. Cades Cove, at the west end of the park, is an eleven mile one-way loop through a preserved mountain valley. Both are free. Great Smoky Mountains charges no entrance fee, though parking tags are now required.
Gatlinburg up over Newfound Gap on the state line, then west to the Cades Cove loop.
Highlights
What earns the trip
- Newfound Gap sits on the state line at 5,046 feet, with the Appalachian Trail crossing the road
- Clingmans Dome road climbs from the gap to the highest point in the park
- Cades Cove is an eleven mile loop with preserved cabins, churches and a working grist mill
- Black bear sightings in Cades Cove are common at dawn and dusk
Stops
- 1
Gatlinburg
The north gateway town, at the park boundary.
- 2
Newfound Gap
The 5,046 foot pass on the state line.
- 3
Cades Cove Visitor Center
Midpoint of the eleven mile one-way loop.
When to go
Best time to go
Mid to late October for color. Cades Cove is quietest at sunrise in any season.
Planner estimate for the mapped line: 4h 1m
Before you go
Know before you go
- A parking tag is required for any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes in the park.
- The Cades Cove loop is one-way and can take three hours in summer traffic.
- Newfound Gap Road closes for winter weather with little notice.
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