Cataloochee and Little Cataloochee

About the Hike

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Hike Description

900M Contact leader by email for reservation. This is a variation of hike 394. The trailhead is near the school (past the church) on Cataloochee Rd. The hike begins up Pretty Hollow Gap Trail, then turns right in 0.8 mi. onto Little Cataloochee Trail. After going over Davidson Gap, the trail goes past the Cooke cabin and apple house. The turn-around point will be at Cataloochee Baptist Church and its historic cemetery. This will be done as a history hike with information on Big Cataloochee & Little Cataloochee. The church we will visit was built in 1889. There is a rich history of residents and their farms prior to the creation of the National Park. NOTE: A parking pass for each vehicle is required in the GSMNP. For more information: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/fees.htm.Topos: Cove Creek Gap

Scout Report

This hike will be a considerable variation of hike # 752 because NC 284 has reopened since Helene and since this hike was previously posted as # 394. Instead of starting on Pretty Hollow Gap Trail and going up the steep trail over Davidson Gap into Little Cataloochee, it will start at the other end of Little Cataloochee Trail and will first feature the Hannah cabin, then go to Little Cataloochee Baptist Church then on as far as the Cook cabin before turning around and hiking back to the T/H for a total of around 5.8 miles and 1200'ascent. Usually Scout hikes involve a few hikers but I generaly use my Thursday Hikes (Weekday Hikers of Haywood County) for scout hikes and today we had 24 hikers! They seem fascinated by the history and all they learned about the people of Little Cataloochee. As a history hike, I will share many details about the people and culture of the area. We will stop at the Palmer House in Big Cataloochee to get an overview of the area. The road to the T/H is quite windy but is in very good shape. The "trail" is a road-type trail similar to a Forest Service Road. There are some large rocks but there are no roots like most mountain trails. The 4 structures we'll investigate are quite interesting and are good examples of what was once in this valley, one of the most significant portions of GSMNP. I will share photos from a history book. Drivers will need Smokies Parking Passes.