Scattered along the loop road are three churches, a working grist mill, barns, pioneer log cabins and many other faithfully restored structures. Today, thanks to the excellent preservation efforts of the National Park Service, you can still get a vivid sense of life in Cades Cove during the 19th century. The national park was chartered by the US Congress in 1934, and officially dedicated by President Franklin D. By 1850, the valley's population had swelled to 70 households and 451 residents, later reaching a peak of 708. European settlers – most of them English, Scots-Irish and Welsh – arrived in the 1820s. Historyįor hundreds of years, the Cherokee used Cades Cove as a hunting settlement and the valley is named after their local leader, Chief Kade. It offers some of the best opportunities for wildlife viewing in the wider National Park, and whether blanketed in bright wildflowers in the spring or vivid colors in the fall, its scenery never disappoints. One of the most popular destinations in the Tennessee section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, many consider this 6800-acre valley to be a national treasure due to its poignant cultural legacy, pioneer architecture and plentiful wildlife.Ĭades Cove has more than two million visitors a year because of its historic homesteads, waterfalls and scenic viewpoints all within a verdant landscape of lush green fields enveloped by an unbroken expanse of mountains. In Appalachian parlance, a cove means a valley, but Cades Cove is far more than that.

Cades cove waterfall