![]() ![]() Anthony Creek Trail starts at the beginning of the Cades Cove in the picnic area and goes three and a half miles up Bote Mountain for a 3000 altitude gain.The trains which once traveled along the Ace Gap track were owned by the Little River Lumber Company and carried equipment, loggers and logs through Cades Cove. Cades Cove and many other parts of the country yielded up virgin forests while filling a seemingly endless demand for lumber for homes, buildings and bridges. Logging trains once clacked along railroad tracks all over Cades Cove during the expansion of the United States. You will know you have come to Ace Gap when you come to an old railroad bed. Ace Gap was so named for card playing loggers that once congregated there. Once beyond the cave, the trail meanders five miles along the ridges of Rich Mountain to the place known as Ace Gap. Smokies hikers on the Ace Gap trail will ascend from the Cades Cove floor past the mouth of the cave. The bottom of the cave is fully five hundred feet from the surface almost straight down. Near the trailhead, Smokies hikers pass Bull Cave, the largest cave in Cades Cove. The trailhead to Ace Gap trail is down Cades Cove loop and up Rich Mountain Road. All wildflowers in Cades Cove are protected by law and may be admired and photographed, not picked or dug. In the month of May, parts of the Ace Gap trail are strewn with pink Lady's Slippers. It is about five and a half miles in length, without much altitude gain or loss. Ace Gap hike is one of the most peaceful trails in Cades Cove.Park at the back of the field where there are signs and a wooden bridge that mark the beginning of the hike. After crossing Abrams Creek, turn right on a gravel road which runs through a grassy field. To get to the Abrams Falls trailhead, go five miles on the Cades Cove Loop Road. The walk to Abrams Falls trail is definitely well worth the effort up and down the ridges as attested by the trails popularity-nearly 1000 visitors per day in peak season. Though the hike to the falls is relatively short, for most Smokies Visitors the hike is challenging but rewarding. The hiking trail weaves up and down, back and forth along the ridges surrounding that end of Cades Cove. ![]() The path from the Cades Cove valley floor to the falls high above roughly follows Abrams Creek. The waters at the destination of this hike, Abrams Falls, make a 20-foot drop to the pool and stream below. ![]() Abrams Falls hike begins at a field at stop number ten on the Cades Cove loop.The Classic Hikes of the Smokies series is sponsored by Smoky Mountain Living, Mission Health, Diamond Brand Outdoors, Equilibar, HomeTrust Bank, Smoky Park Supper Club, and Leap Frog Tours.Smoky Mountain Hiking Trails Close to Wears Valley: Funds go to support the Trails Forever program that restores popular trails in the GSMNP.Ĭontact Marielle to register for the hike or with any questions. Individual hikes are $20 for current Friends of the Smokies members and $35 for new and renewing members. The next Classic Hike of the Smokies will be on August 14, hiking 9.8 miles total on Bradley Fork and Cabin Flats. Special two-day Classic Hike events in previous years have been held at Fontana Dam and LeConte Lodge. Typically the Classic Hikes are guided day hikes held the second Tuesday of the month from March through December. The Cades Cove two-day event was a special edition of FOTS Classic Hikes of the Smokies. Hikers visited the John Oliver Cabin as part of hiking the Rich Mountain Loop. More of her photos are available on FOTS Facebook. Linda Spangler, a regular hiker for FOTS Classic Hikes, took the photos included in this post. A highlight was being able to see the amazing and many colored azaleas at the top and also see Cades Cove from above (see the photo at the top of this post). ![]() The second group hiked to Gregory Bald with leader Steve Pierce, a 900-miler hiker. They enjoyed the wildflowers and a visit to the John Oliver Cabin. One group, led by expert hiker and author Danny Bernstein, hiked the Rich Mountain Loop. Rich Mountain Loop and Gregory Bald hikes The hikers divided into two groups for different hikes. Her husband, Bill Mize, played acoustic guitar. McCarter said he attributes his search skills to his grandmother who was part Cherokee and taught him tracking skills.īeth Bramhall, a park ranger based in Cades Cove, also joined the group for dinner to meet the hikers and talk about Cades Cove. Retired ranger Dwight McCarter was the guest speaker, talking about his time as a backcountry ranger.ĭuring his career with search and rescue, McCarter found 26 people who had been lost in the Smokies. Monday evening the hikers attended a reception and dinner at Miss Lily’s Catering. Dwight McCarter found 26 people who were lost in the Smokies during his work as a ranger in search and rescue. After hiking, the group drove the Cades Cove Loop, seeing bears and deer. ![]()
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