Thursday, July 9, 2020

Cataloochee - Great Smoky Mountains National Park



We completed our April 2018 visit to western North Carolina with a stop at Cataloochee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Just getting to Cataloochee can be an adventure for those not used to driving on twisting, hilly gravel roads. I've described the two ways into Cataloochee on a previous blog post here. We stopped at the Sal Patch Gap overlook, the only overlook along the route from US 276 into the valley.

Sal Patch Gap parking area

Paved trail to overlook

Signs of deferred maintenance

Ridge after ridge

Sal Patch Gap overlook

Spruce Mountain (5647' 6.5 miles) above the flank of Half Acre Ridge

Common serviceberry blooming (Amelanchier arborea)

Winding Stair Branch watershed

After leaving the overlook, we descended into the valley on the paved Cataloochee Entrance Road. Near the campground, we saw a group of elk on the edge of a field. Continuing on into the valley, the road reverts to gravel near Palmer Chapel. We crossed the field to the church in order to get a closer view of Palmer Creek. After crossing Palmer Creek on a sturdy bridge, the road follows Rough Fork for a short distance before terminating at the trailhead for both the Big Fork Ridge Trail and the Rough Fork Trail. We caught up to part of the elk herd in a large field near the end of the road.

Elk lazing and grazing

Sunning

Palmer Chapel from the road

Palmer Creek

Palmer Chapel from near the creek

Palmer Creek from the road bridge

Rough Fork

Caldwell Place

Caldwell barn

Field beside the Caldwell barn




Many elk have radio collars to allow rangers to track the herd

Entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is free.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/grsm.

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