In mid-October, 2012, we visited another part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the first time. The Cataloochee valley is not as easily accessed as Oconaluftee, Clingmans Dome, Cades Cove or even Greenbrier. Entrance into the valley requires driving up and down a mountain on a winding, narrow gravel road with no guardrails. The easiest way to get to Cataloochee is to exit I-40 at exit 20 onto U.S. 276 in North Carolina. Immediately turn right onto Cove Creek Road and follow it into the park. The park service claims that the gravel portion of the road can be traversed in about 15 minutes, but that is completely dependent on the amount of traffic you meet and the traffic you follow. With several blind curves and no pullouts for slower moving vehicles, it is definitely not the place to tailgate. The road crests the mountain at 4071 feet Cove Creek Gap and then descends into Cataloochee Valley. Part of the way down the mountain, the road is again paved and striped. The only pullout is just beyond this point and affords spectacular views.
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| Looking toward Mt. Sterling from Cataloochee Overlook |
Once in the valley, the road continues past a campground and a ranger station. Beyond the ranger station, the road runs along a long open field. Here we ran into a traffic jam similar to those found in Cades Cove. A herd of elk were in the field as dusk approached. Several park volunteers and rangers ensured that visitors did not approach the elk.
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| Open field with elk |
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| Young bull elk grazes |
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| Posing for the cameras |
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| A bull prepares to bugle |
While Cataloochee is open year-round, most of the valley is closed from sunset to sunrise. We will return to this part of the park again to explore further.
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm.
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