Explore the Great Smoky Mountains like the settlers did on horseback! At the Cades Cove Riding Stables, you get to travel through Cades Cove on a horse. Even if you’ve never ridden a horse before, you’ll have a great time! Here’s everything you need to know about the Cades Cove Riding Stables:
Guided Tours Through Cades Cove
A guide will lead your group through trails in Cades Cove. You ride your own horse and control it while it follows the trail guide. Cades Cove Riding Stables wants to keep groups small, about 9 people per group, so you feel like you get to know your guide well.
The horses have been hand selected based on their temperament, athletic ability, and willingness to please. The guides will ask you if you’ve ever ridden before, and based on your answer, they will pick a horse that’s perfect just for you! Before you head out on the trails, the guides will have a small orientation for new riders on how to ride on the trails and how to control the horse.
Guided tours depart frequently throughout the day. These tours last about 1 hour each. Cades Cove Riding Stables suggest everyone riding a horse should wear a safety helmet, but it is required for riders 16 years old and younger wear a helmet.
You can go trail riding in Cades Cove anytime in March through November from 9 am to 4:30 pm.
Carriage Rides Through Cades Cove
If you don’t want to go on a trail ride, you can always ride a horse-drawn carriage through Cades Cove! You’ll feel like a wealthy traveler from the past, riding through the forest in a carriage. The carriage drivers will entertain you with fascinating history about Cades Cove. You might even come across wildlife along your ride, and they will tell you more about the different animals too!
The maximum number of people Cades Cove Riding Stables will allow on the carriages are 6 people, depending on their size. The rides last about 30 to 45 minutes. You can ride a carriage through Cades Cove from March to November, anytime between 9 am to 4:30 pm.
Hayrides Through Cades Cove
Want to take the kids to see Cades Cove in a different way other than from the car? Go on a hayride through this popular destination in the Great Smoky Mountains! The whole family will have a great time riding in a trailer full of hay pulled by a truck.
For the hayride to continue, there must be at least 2 riders at the scheduled time. The trailers can hold up to 65 people at a time. The ride time varies, depending on traffic in the Loop. Usually, the hayrides can last from 1.5 to 3 hours. Here is the schedule for hayrides:
- March 3 through May 31: 10 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm
- June 1 through August 15: 10 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and 6 pm
- August 16 through closing season 10 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm
Your whole family will love seeing Cades Cove in a new way. Cades Cove Riding Stables can help you see what traveling was like before modern technology. You’ll definitely appreciate the quietness and beauty of nature on guided trail tours, carriage rides, and hayrides. For even more information, read about horseback riding in Cades Cove.
