Cades Cove is a 6,800-acre valley surrounded by mountains and stunning scenery. It’s located about an hour and a half from both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. To help you find your way around when you visit, we’ve created maps of the area! We have a Cades Cove Loop Road map that shows you what you’ll be able to spot along the trail and where you can spot it. This map includes everything between where you enter the one-loop road and where you exit. We’ve also included directions to the Loop and tips for driving it. You’ll also find our Cades Cove Campground map, which gives you the opportunity to see where the campsites are and what’s nearby.

Cades Cove Loop Road Map

Map of Cades Cove Loop Road in the Smoky Mountains

Stops Highlighted on Our Cades Cove Map

Our Cades Cove Loop Road map shows you all the stops you can make along the 11-mile loop road. From historic churches to cabins, you’ll be able to see it all when you drive through Cades Cove. Here are the top places highlighted on our map that you can see when you drive the Loop:

  • John Oliver Cabin
  • Primitive Baptist Church
  • Methodist Church
  • Missionary Baptist Church
  • Cooper Road Trailhead
  • Elijah Oliver Place
  • Abrams Falls Trailhead
  • Cades Cove Visitor Center
  • John P. Cable Mill
  • Henry Whitehead Place
  • Cades Cove Nature Trail
  • Dan Lawson Place
  • Tipton Place
  • Cantilever Barn
  • Carter Shields Cabin

If you’re looking for an interactive Cades Cove map and directions to Cades Cove, use the one from Google Maps below:

Directions to the Cades Cove Loop

Cades Cove Loop is accessed by Laurel Creek Road. This road is the only driving entrance to the one-way loop. To get to Laurel Creek Road from where you are, follow these directions.

From Gatlinburg: 

  • Follow the main Parkway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  • Take a right on Little River Road after the Sugarlands Visitor Center
  • Stay on Little River Road for about 20 miles
  • Continue onto Laurel Creek Road and into Cades Cove

From Pigeon Forge:

  • Take the Pigeon Forge Parkway to Traffic Light #3 to Wears Valley Road
  • Take 321 to Townsend
  • Take TN-73 E into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  • Head southwest on Laurel Creek Road until you reach Cades Cove

Driving Distances from Nearby Cities:

Location Miles to Cades Cove
Townsend 11
Pigeon Forge 26
Maryville 28
Gatlinburg 29
Knoxville 45
Lenoir City 47
Asheville 109

Tips for Driving Through Cades Cove

Cades Cove typically takes anywhere between 2 to 4 hours to drive through, depending on traffic. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you want to drive the Cades Cove Loop:

  • Visit early in the morning or late in the evening. The Cades Cove Loop is open from sunrise to sunset. If you’re driving the loop around those times, you’ll have less crowds and a better chance of seeing wildlife.
  • Be prepared to stop. Cades Cove is not a quick drive. Be prepared to go slow around the loop and to make frequent stops as cars around you take time to see the sights. 
  • Pack a picnic. You can pull off at the Cades Cove picnic area and enjoy lunch surrounded by the beauty that Cades Cove has to offer. Just be sure to pick up your trash and to never leave food unattended to protect wildlife.

Cades Cove Campground Map

Extend your time in Cades Cove by staying at the Cades Cove Campground! Use our Cades Cove Campground Map to become familiar with the area and see where to park, where the campsites are and what things are nearby.

Cades Cove Campground Map