Here are a few photographs taken recently, while on a late afternoon visit to Cades Cove. Located in a verdant valley of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, an area originally inhabited by Cherokee Indians, it was later settled by European immigrants sometime between 1818-1821.
Today, it’s one of the most popular destinations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and there are many individual areas within Cades Cove to enjoy. Here are a few examples –
Most commonly, tourists partake in a one-way scenic drive along an 11 mile road – a loop – through the park. It usually takes between 2-3 hours, with traffic stop and go along the shoulder, as people pause to examine the natural habitat, vintage churches and log cabins, mountain landscapes and wildlife.
Driving along this scenic loop, I spotted eight bears on six different occasions. I also realized that I would have benefited by using a longer zoom lens with my camera, as these bears were to far away for close-up photographs.
Other animals spotted included two wild turkeys, a whitetail deer, and approximately two dozen horses. The park has a stable on site where families can saddle-up for riding, and these horses are also allowed to run free within expansive, fenced boundaries of the park. In fact, soon after I entered Cades Cove, I heard and observed roughly ten horses galloping along a worn, dirt path, parallel with the road.
Fortunately, the weather remained dry during my visit, though storm clouds were moving in from the east, over the mountains.
If you’re ever in the area and would like to enjoy a combination of historical sites, wildlife and green valleys surrounded by mountains, then I would recommend that you visit Cades Cove. Despite its popularity, you’ll find your visit to be a peaceful and rewarding experience.
I appreciate your visit, and, if you’d be interested, feel free to visit my gallery to find prints available for your home or office. Thanks very much!