Pigeon Forge · Townsend side of the Smokies · Scenic drive
Cades Cove Loop Road
An 11-mile, one-way loop around a mountain-ringed valley full of log homes, churches, a working mill and wildlife. No entrance fee; a parking tag is needed to stop.
“Plan your visit” opens the park’s parking tag page. On busy days the park suggests arriving by 8 a.m.
Details checked October 2026
Type
Scenic drive
11-mile one-way loop in the national park
Admission
Free entry + parking tag
Tags: $5 day, $15 week, $40 year
Hours
Sunrise to sunset
No cars on Wednesdays, typically May–Sept
Time needed
2–4 hours
NPS estimate; allow longer if you hike
Parking
Tag required
For any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes
Loop length
11 miles, one-way
Numbered stops keyed to the NPS tour booklet
What you’ll see
What you’ll see around the Cades Cove loop
NPS says Cades Cove has the widest variety of historic buildings of any area in the park: three churches, a working gristmill, barns and log homes, plus open fields where deer, turkeys and black bears are often spotted.
Photo: P. Hughes on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Halfway stop
John Cable Mill and the Cades Cove Visitor Center
About halfway around the loop, the water-powered John Cable Mill (built 1868) is a working gristmill. It’s open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through November 29, 2026. The Cades Cove Visitor Center is next door, with restrooms nearby. A short paved path passes the Becky Cable House and barns. It’s the best place on the loop to get out and stretch.
RV tip: large rigs are often seen in the visitor center lot, but most loop pull-offs are small. A tow car or pickup has far more places to stop.
More to see
- Historic churchesPrimitive Baptist (1827), Methodist (1902) and Missionary Baptist (1915–16) churches stand along the loop, each with a small cemetery.
- Wildlife in the fieldsDeer, wild turkeys and black bears are common sightings. NPS warns that approaching wildlife endangers both people and animals, so use pull-offs and keep your distance.
- Self-guiding tour bookletPick one up at the loop entrance. It’s keyed to numbered posts and has historic photos of the families who lived in the cove.
- Vehicle-free WednesdaysIn 2026 the loop was closed to cars every Wednesday from May 6 to September 30 so people could bike or walk it. Cades Cove has bike rentals and a seasonal convenience store.
Why go
Why Cades Cove made our Pigeon Forge list
Cades Cove is a valley ringed by mountains, south of Townsend on the quiet west side of the national park. The first permanent European settlers, John and Lurena Oliver, arrived in 1818. Today the cove’s churches, cabins, barns and 1868 gristmill are preserved along an 11-mile, one-way paved loop.
There’s no ticket. As anywhere else in the park, any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes needs a parking tag: $5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year. Tags are sold online, at park visitor centers, at the Great Smoky Mountains Welcome Center in Townsend and at fee kiosks at the Townsend Wye on the way in.
Plan on two to four hours. The loop is open sunrise to sunset, and traffic slows to a crawl whenever wildlife is spotted. Come early, pack food and water (cell signal is unlikely), and check the vehicle-free Wednesday schedule before you go.
Photo: Sarah Stierch on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Why it made our list
- Most varied set of historic buildings in the national park
- Wildlife viewing from your car seat
- No entrance fee; $5 day parking tag covers it
- About 45 minutes from Pigeon Forge via Wears Valley Road
- Car-free Wednesdays in summer for biking
For RVers
Bringing the rig to Cades Cove
The loop itself has no posted RV length limit, but the exits and shortcuts off it do. Plan your route around them.
Best route from Pigeon Forge
Take Wears Valley Road (US-321) west through Wears Valley to Townsend. At the light in Townsend turn left, follow TN-73 to the Townsend Wye and turn right onto Laurel Creek Road, about 7.7 miles to the cove. Plan on about 45 minutes. Don’t take the Line Springs Road / Wear Cove Road shortcut into the park in an RV. It’s narrow and closed to rigs over 25 feet and trailers.
Length limits on and off the loop
The park lists no length or trailer limit for the Cades Cove loop or Little River Road. Rich Mountain Road and Parson Branch Road, which leave the loop, are closed to motorhomes over 25 feet and anything towing a trailer. The loop is narrow and one-way with few large pull-offs, so many RVers leave the coach at camp and drive the tow car.
Parking tag and pull-offs
Any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes needs a physical tag showing its plate: $5 daily, $15 weekly, $40 annual. Buy online and print, or stop at the Townsend Wye kiosks. Park only in designated spots, never on the grass. On vehicle-free Wednesdays the lots fill early and drivers are turned away until later in the day.
Pets on the loop
Leashed pets (6-foot leash) can ride along and walk in parking areas, picnic areas and along the road. They aren’t allowed on Cades Cove trails; only the Gatlinburg and Oconaluftee River trails allow pets. The park asks that you never leave pets alone in a car or RV.
What visitors say about Cades Cove Loop Road
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 29, 2026.
Cades Cove is a scenic valley surrounded on all sides by mountains.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, describing Cades Cove · nps.gov
Roads in and around Cades Cove (miles)
Loop and Parson Branch lengths from NPS. Little River and Laurel Creek road lengths from nationalparked.com mile markers. NPS calls Laurel Creek Road ‘seven-mile’.
Good to know
Loop hoursSunrise to sunset daily
Vehicle-free daysWednesdays, May 6–Sept 30 in 2026; 2027 not yet posted
Parking tag$5 day, $15 week, $40 year; needed over 15 minutes
Cable MillDaily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. through Nov 29, 2026
Hours, tag prices and road rules checked October 2026 on nps.gov/grsm and smokieslife.org. Roads can close for weather or work; check park alerts before you go.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Cades Cove Loop Road
- AddressCades Cove Loop Rd, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend, TN 37882
- HoursThe loop is open sunrise to sunset every day, weather permitting. It’s closed to motor vehicles on Wednesdays, typically May through September (May 6–Sept 30 in 2026). Cades Cove Visitor Center is typically open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. through November and 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. in December, closed December 25.
- Phone(865) 436-1200
- TicketsNo entrance fee. A parking tag is required for any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes: $5 daily, $15 weekly, $40 annual. Buy at recreation.gov (print it), at park visitor centers, the Great Smoky Mountains Welcome Center in Townsend or the Townsend Wye fee kiosks.
- Getting thereFrom the Pigeon Forge Parkway, take Wears Valley Road (US-321) to Townsend, turn left at the light, and continue to the Townsend Wye. Turn right onto Laurel Creek Road to the loop. About 45 minutes. Little River Road from Sugarlands is longer but scenic.
- ParkingParking is in small pull-offs along the loop and larger lots at the loop entrance and the Cable Mill/visitor center area. Park only in designated spots. Lots fill early on busy days and vehicle-free Wednesdays.
The loop is one-way, so plan on driving the full 11 miles once you start. NPS advises bringing food, water and a first aid kit, since cell signal is unlikely.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Cades Cove Loop Road
These are the Pigeon Forge-area parks we’ve written up, closest first. Drive times are estimates via US-321 and Townsend, the route that avoids Wear Cove Gap Road, which is closed to RVs and trailers.
Up the Creek RV Camp
Wooded full-hookup sites beside a creek off Little Valley Road. No restrooms, so bring a self-contained rig.
Creekside RV Park
Full-hookup park off Henderson Springs Road with a seasonal pool. Closed January and February.
Camp Riverslanding
Private park with full-hookup sites along the Little Pigeon River, a short drive from the Old Mill end of town.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Open sunrise–sunset · Mill open through Nov 29
Make Cades Cove your early start
Print a parking tag the night before, leave Pigeon Forge by sunrise and take Wears Valley Road to Townsend. You’ll beat the line and see more wildlife.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos: P. Hughes (Cades Cove Methodist Church; the view from the loop; CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons), Sarah Stierch (the one-way loop road; open meadows and ridges; fall in the cove; CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons), Nancy J. Olds (deer in the meadows; CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons); the images were resized. Video: Wandering Out Yonder on YouTube (Cades Cove: Bears, Views & History! Scenic Loop Drive). Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Cades Cove Loop Road unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including published materials from Cades Cove Loop Road and publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details are set by the National Park Service and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with Cades Cove Loop Road at home.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/cadescove.htm or (865) 436-1200. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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