Cades Cove, TN

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  • Cam

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    10   0   0
    Oct 7, 2008
    994
    18
    Tipton County
    Nothing really more to know. Your LTCH is good. I never get out of the car at Cade’s Cove. I believe signs carry weight in TN.
     

    Grogmister

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Sep 13, 2012
    406
    43
    Never seen a sign at Cade’s Cove but I have only gotten out to use the bathroom. Only animals I have ever seen in there have been birds and the horses up front. Take the scenic loop road in Gatlinberg if you want to see bears. Regardless where you go the scenery down there is beautiful.
     

    Tactically Fat

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    22   0   0
    Oct 8, 2014
    8,270
    113
    Indiana
    Almost all of the buildings in the National Park are no-go as far as carrying goes.

    Carrying IN the park is legal (Thanks, Obama!).

    Stand-alone bathrooms should be legal to carry into. If you have to enter into another building to find a bathroom, I personally presume it's a Federal GFZ. I don't know if there may be a situation where there's an externally-accessible bathroom that's hooked to another building. I'd probably be inclined to treat that as entering the fed building and treating it as such.

    have a great time. There's a TON to do.
     

    Vigilant

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Jul 12, 2008
    11,659
    83
    Plainfield
    **** Cade’s Cove! Last I went to G’burg, ALL I wanted to do was see a bear. Neighbors, yup, Bear on their porch in the morning, I was at the store. Downtown G’burg, yup, bear licking the water off the globe in front of Ripley’s, 5 minutes BEFORE I got there. Cade’s Cove, 72 million whitetail, numerous other animals, NO ****ING BEARS!!!!!:xmad: I don’t know the answer to the age old question, “Does a bear **** in the woods?” But I can, with expert authority, tell you that a whitetail does not, they prefer the fence line at Cade’s Cove. After several G’burg trips and no bears, I’m beginning to think the IDNR, works in Tennessee as well? I did NOT see a Mountain Bobcat at Cade’s Cove though, so that’s something.
     

    littletommy

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 29, 2009
    13,015
    113
    A holler in Kentucky
    Out of the 25-30 times I’ve been through cades cove in the last 10 years, I’ve seen bears there TWICE. Both times were last year. In the spring, the place to go is Roaring Fork motor trail, I’ve never seen a bear in the actual one way motor trail part, but almost always see them just past the Park vista hotel entrance. I spent a lot of time with my aunt and uncle there when I was a kid, they lived off what is now airport road, which leads to the motor trail, we used to have bears come up on the porch and look in the door and watch us eat.
     

    eldirector

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    10   0   0
    Apr 29, 2009
    14,677
    113
    Brownsburg, IN

    Grogmister

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Sep 13, 2012
    406
    43
    Take Historic Nature Road (runs in front of the Gatlinburg Convention Center) from the main drive in Gatlinburg. It will run into Cherokee Orchard Rd. This is all 2 way traffic. Keep driving until you get to Roaring Forks Motor trail. This becomes 1 way only and goes all the way to the top of the mountain and back down. Absolutely breathtaking views, many pull offs for pics and hiking trails. We have seen bear on that trail the last 2 years. We will be back down there in September and will do that drive a few times. Early morning and evenings are best for wildlife. We have had better luck in the evenings around dinner time. Honestly really is not anywhere down there that isn’t beautiful.
     

    indiucky

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    I got charged by a bear at Cades Cove....Wife wanted better pics, 100 people around, they said the sow was nowhere near the cubs...They'd been there an hour with no sign of her....A local standing there heard the exchange and said, "I'll go with you..."He and I crept into the patch, got within 10 yards of the cubs, took two or three pics when she jumped up about 15 yards from us...She had been sleeping in the berry patch....When she charged the other people surrounding the patch scattered and that took the focus off of me.....

    One other time a bear was in a cherry tree overhanging the road...Two park rangers were there rushing us through that spot...that limb was tiny and that sow was determined to get those last cherries on that branch....Sun roof open...Wife got two great pics as we went under it...Those rangers were nervous as hell there was going to be an incident.....
     

    CindyE

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    Jul 19, 2011
    3,006
    83
    north/central IN
    I rode my Harley on the loop through Cades Cove. It's been at least 12 years ago now. Didn't see any bears, just deer. There was lots of stop and go traffic, I started to worry about running out of gas.
     

    rhino

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Mar 18, 2008
    30,906
    113
    Indiana
    I got charged by a bear at Cades Cove....Wife wanted better pics, 100 people around, they said the sow was nowhere near the cubs...They'd been there an hour with no sign of her....A local standing there heard the exchange and said, "I'll go with you..."He and I crept into the patch, got within 10 yards of the cubs, took two or three pics when she jumped up about 15 yards from us...She had been sleeping in the berry patch....When she charged the other people surrounding the patch scattered and that took the focus off of me.....

    One other time a bear was in a cherry tree overhanging the road...Two park rangers were there rushing us through that spot...that limb was tiny and that sow was determined to get those last cherries on that branch....Sun roof open...Wife got two great pics as we went under it...Those rangers were nervous as hell there was going to be an incident.....

    You still think I was a bear??!! I'm not even hairy like that.
     

    G192127

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Feb 19, 2018
    440
    63
    Shelbyville
    Cases Cove is just a tourist trap for newbies. 1 guy stops traffic and you're there for an hour while he gets his jollies. Not to mention on a bike you'll smoke your clutch.
    If you MUST go take 4wd and take Rich mtn rd. It's at the far end of CC and will kick you out on us129.
     
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