Little River Road

Spectacular scenery, including overlooks, a tunnel, river scenes, trailheads…

Spectacular scenery, including overlooks, a tunnel, river scenes, trailheads, picnic areas, campground access points, and waterfalls.

Little River Road

Your Connection to the Tennessee Side of the Park

This scenic drive in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can best be accessed at the end of the Newfound Gap Road scenic drive from Cherokee to Gatlinburg. Little River Road will be on your left as you approach Gatlinburg, and you can also follow signs for the Sugarlands Visitor Center to find that left turn.

This 18-mile scenic drive dead-ends at Cades Cove, and provides spectacular scenery, including overlooks, a tunnel, river scenes, trailheads, picnic areas, campground access points and even a waterfall – Meigs Falls - that can be seen from the road. You can also access Elmont, Tremont, and Greenbriar sections of the Park from this road.

It can take up to an hour to travel Little River Road to Cades Cove, so keep that in mind for the return trip to Bryson City. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at one of the scenic spots along the way.

Look for a signpost indicating “Stop 4,” Metcalf Bottoms – this is a picturesque picnic site alongside the Little River. This site has picnic tables, grills and restrooms. After a bite to eat, enjoy a short walk along the trail to visit two of the park’s historic buildings.