This hike takes you on a clockwise loop into the heart of Caldwell Fork country, one of three Cataloochee communities. It blends the old—homesites, graves, and the Steve Woody House—with the new, the return of the elk and the assault on hemlocks by the hemlock woolly adelgid.

Start on Big Fork Ridge trail passing the elk pens. Turn right on Caldwell Fork Trail past the big poplars. Another right takes you down Rough Fork Trail and Woody's Place, pictured above.

Length: 9.4 miles

Altitude gain: 1,650 ft.

Map: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map #229

Trailhead: From I-40 exit 20 (US 276), make the first right on Cove Creek Rd. Drive 6 miles to Cove Creek Gap at the park entrance and down into the Cataloochee Valley. At the four-way intersection, turn left. Continue 6.1 miles to the end of the road and park.

Return to Great Smoky Mountains National Park Hikes