American Travel Journal: Cataloochee - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Cataloochee section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park consists of the Little Cataloochee, Big Cataloochee and Caldwell Fork valleys in North Carolina. Walled in by Mount Sterling Ridge on the northwest, Cataloochee Divide on the southeast and Balsam Mountain to the southwest, the area was relatively isolated from the rest of North Carolina.

Today, it is still isolated with only two gravel roads providing access to the area. The easiest route is by way of Cove Creek Road near the interchange of I-40 and US 276 at exit 20. The first 5.7 miles of Cove Creek Road are paved, but the remaining 1.2 miles up the mountain to the park entrance at Cove Creek Gap are gravel. From the park entrance, the route continues as a narrow gravel road for an additional 1.7 miles before reaching an intersection. Turning left leads to an asphalt road into Big Cataloochee. Continuing straight on the Old Cataloochee Turnpike provides gravel road access to Little Cataloochee via a hiking trail. The paved road continues for 4.5 miles into Big Cataloochee before reverting to gravel for an additional mile up the valley. From I-40 to the south end of the valley by way of Cove Creek Road is just over 10 miles with about three miles of gravel road.

A much slower alternate route to Cataloochee begins at I-40 exit 451 in Tennessee. Follow Waterville Road for two miles to a four-way stop sign. Turn left onto Mt Sterling Road. Continue onto the gravel Old Cataloochee Turnpike for about 14 miles (16 miles from I-40) passing the Little Cataloochee trailhead to reach the paved Cataloochee Road at the northern end of Big Cataloochee valley. Expect this route to take well over an hour.

Although home to hundreds of people over a century ago, very few structures remain in Cataloochee. We saw five of the remaining structures during our June 2016 visit.