History and nature collide in the Cataloochee Valley.
In the southeastern corner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park lies the Cataloochee Valley. Once a Cherokee hunting ground, it was later settled in the 1830s by hardy farmers looking for a new life. You can now still find homes that were once owned by those first few families today.
Cataloochee is a great alternative to the more famous Cades Cove. During my visit to the Smokies in September 2021, I had to find such alternative due to road construction. Honestly, I really enjoyed it. Just like in Cades Cove, Cataloochee has historic structures, hiking trails and, something that Cades Cove doesn’t have, reintroduced elk.
The journey into the Cataloochee Valley is not for someone faint of heart. A narrow gravel road weaves its way over the ridge and down into the valley, eventually widening to more normal road.
Bigfoot will be your guide over the mountains. He can be found on the road into the valley.
Cataloochee Valley was a fully functioning settlement until the area became part of the national park. Two little towns occupied the valley, Cataloochee and Little Cataloochee, each with its own little church. The residents were granted lifetime leases to their former land, but most left by 1943, leaving many of the historic buildings standing.
Little Cataloochee can be explored via the Little Cataloochee Trail, which I didn’t make it to, but I was still able to explore much of the valley and hike a trail. The most picturesque cabins are on the Little Cataloochee Trail.
One of the first historic structures you find in Cataloochee is the Messer Barn, built by Will Messer in 1905. It was moved here from Little Cataloochee.
Open pastures were common in Cataloochee. The first settlers came here to raise livestock. Later, apples became a big cash crop.
The Palmer Chapel, built on land that once was owned by Mary Ann Palmer. The front of the church faces the Cataloochee Creek.
Built in 1903, the chapel can still hold services.
Along the creek is a fairly wide trail, probably once a narrow road and is still used for horses today.
Palmer Creek, one of the many water sources in the area.
Near Palmer Creek lies the two room Beech Grove School, built in 1903. The valley used to have an even smaller school. The locals pressed the county for funds to build a larger school but were denied. In response, they burnt down the old school, forcing the county to pay for a new one. The pettiness was strong.
The front classroom of the school. The other classroom is no longer painted and devoid of furniture. Kind of eerie honestly.
Another wonderful meadow near the Caldwell Farm. Elk can be frequently found here, just not today.
The really cool Caldwell Barn (1923). The Caldwells were one of the first families to settle in Cataloochee and would remain here until the national park moved in.
A good place to park your wagon.
The Caldwell Place (1898-1903) across the Rough Fork. The Caldwells moved up from a little log cabin to large farm house.
You are allowed to explore the house, although the floor boards are a little questionable at times. The rooms in the house are pretty large.
At the end of the road is the Rough Fork Trail, a old road that leads to a historic home. The trail eventually reaches Heintooga Ridge Road, a section of the Smokies that is only accessible via the Blue Ridge Parkway.
A nice easy trail on an old road.
Finally found the elk a bit off the trail. This guy was having a good snooze.
The Rough Fork.
These narrow, giant log bridges are very common around the national park. This was one of the least sketchy ones.
The Steve Woody House, built in about 1880. It was originally built of logs, but paneling and more rooms were later added when milled wood became more widely available.
That’s an interesting color.
I passed by the elk again on the way back. This time they were joined by this really bouncing baby.
On the other side of the Cataloochee Valley is the Palmer House, originally built in 1869. It was also originally a log cabin, but paneling and more rooms were later added in 1902. The Palmers were also one of the original families in the valley.
The center of the house was left wide open. Common in log cabins, not so much in framed houses.
The Palmer barn.
The Cataloochee Valley is a great place to explore. To be honest, had Cades Cove not been closed, I wouldn’t have come here, but I’m glad I did. It’s a remote section of the park, so be prepared to spend some time getting there.
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