Great Smoky Mountains National Park's Most Popular Attraction Is This Scenic Drive With Once-Thriving Buildings

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park reigns as the most-visited national park in the country today, and, to be frank, it's pretty dang easy to see why. The 522,400-acre reserve spans across one of the most stunning sections of Appalachia, where soaring peaks converge on rolling tracts of old-growth forest. With everything from epic hikes to roaring waterfalls on the menu for visitors, it can be tricky to know precisely where to begin. However, there seems to be one standout suggestion, and it comes in the form of an ultra-popular scenic driving route known as Cades Cove.

Clocking up 11 miles in total, the loop road rings around what's surely the most-visited corner of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a whole. According to veteran travel guide publisher Lonely Planet, the area draws in 2 million visitors each year — that's about 17% all people that visit the park! Meanwhile, a guide to Cades Cove on SmokyMountainNationalPark.com estimates visitor numbers to be closer to 5 million. The area brims with wildlife and scenery, while also bursting with history, all of which can be neatly seen along the aforementioned Cades Cove Loop Road.

Already planning your road trip? There are three prime gateways offering access to the Cades Cove Loop, all of which are on the northern, Tennessee side of the national park. One goes via the popular Sugarlands out of the breathtaking mountain city of Gatlinburg, while quieter routes come in from the Townsend or Wears Valley entrances. For those flying in, there is an airport close to this part of the park in Knoxville, about a 1.5-hour drive northeast.

When it comes to scenic byways in Appalachia, the legendary Blue Ridge Parkway (a favored trip that's been called "America's Favorite Drive") usually comes to mind. However, the Cades Cove Loop Road is among the most popular cruises to do in the Great Smokies section of the range, for it whisks visitors through a truly stunning portion of the national park, where emerald-green peaks dominate the horizon, viewpoints beckon around every bend, and there's history galore.

The wildlife viewing is particularly celebrated. Everything from black bears to whole herds of deer and wild turkeys are known to reside in the areas that flank the Cades Cove Loop Road, and there are plenty of pull-outs for drivers to stop, watch, and enjoy their Tennessee safari. You should also keep your eyes peeled for rarer fauna — Experience Cades Cove points out that bobcats and river otters are also known to make cameos here!

On top of that, you can expect enticing hiking trails along the way. You could pitstop at the Cades Cove Nature Trail to enjoy a 2-mile walk through dense woodlands and over creeks. Then there's the hiking trail to Abrams Falls, which is one of the most dangerous in the Great Smoky Mountains because of the strong currents that pulse below the cascades. Avoid swimming if you take the 5-mile adventure through oak and hemlock forests that bloom with gorgeous wildflowers in the spring.

There's no ignoring the rich history of the Cades Cove area. In fact, most of the recommended stops along the byway are historical churches, cabins, and structures, hearkening back to a time when this valley was alive with the buzz of pioneer settlers. According to the official National Park Service website, the first Europeans came here in the early 1800s, and by the 1850s, the population of Cades Cove was close to 700 people.

Reminders of that thriving community pepper the meanders of the loop road today. You'll whiz by the John Oliver Cabin, which is hailed as the oldest manmade structure in the entire national park. There's a 5-minute walk — all flat and generally doable for families with kids in tow — to the front of the cabin, and you can even duck inside to see the old hearth and the creaking loft area.

You'll also drive by the Cable Mill, which stands tall in the midst of a whole range of other historic buildings that each offer a clue to just how vibrant the community once was in these parts. Explore a blacksmith shop and the pretty, white-painted Gregg-Cable House from the 1870s. This is also the site of the Cades Cove Visitor Center, where ranger staff are on hand to answer your questions about what life was like in the mountains.