Cataloochee or Cades Cove??

[pak]

My 8 year old son and I are headed up to the mountains for a spring break camping trip. We spend 3 nights last July at cades cove and absolutely loved it but I was thinking about trying cataloochee since we’ve never been there. We are looking to fish, do a little hiking, hopefully see some wildlife and overall just enjoy time together.

What’s your preference of the two places?

 

[lampern]

Cataloochee has an elk herd

Cades Cove has bears and big fields

Both have wild trout streams

Come to NC and spend some money

Stocked streams in NC open April 2nd to fishing

 

[pak]

Looks like cataloochee campground doesn’t open until later in April.

Got any other campground suggestions nearby?

 

[NCHillbilly]

Cataloochee has an elk herd

Cades Cove has bears and big fields

Both have wild trout streams

Come to NC and spend some money

Stocked streams in NC open April 2nd to fishing

Plenty of bears and fields in Cataloochee, too. No stocked streams in the GSMNP.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Looks like cataloochee campground doesn’t open until later in April.

Got any other campground suggestions nearby?

Just be advised that camping in early April here, it will likely be below freezing at night, sometimes in the daytime, and you may wake up to a big snow in April. That's why Cataloochee (and most of the other GSMNP campgrounds) doesn't open early-it's still winter, in a normal year. The road coming in can be impassable in a snowstorm.

Check out Davidson River Campground. It's NFS campground, located on a good trout stream, with plenty of hiking. Not gonna see wildlife like in the National Park, but early April is usually still winter in the Smokies.

Another option in GSMNP is Smokemont, just outside of Cherokee. I think it opens a bit earlier. Lots of elk in that area too, and great wild trout fishing in the Oconoluftee and Bradley Fork in the park, and a lot of heavily stocked streams on the Cherokee Rez, and plenty of hiking trails nearby.

 

[Semi-Pro]

Just be advised that camping in early April here, it will likely be below freezing at night, sometimes in the daytime, and you may wake up to a big snow in April. That's why Cataloochee (and most of the other GSMNP campgrounds) doesn't open early-it's still winter, in a normal year. The road coming in can be impassable in a snowstorm.

Check out Davidson River Campground. It's NFS campground, located on a good trout stream, with plenty of hiking. Not gonna see wildlife like in the National Park, but early April is usually still winter in the Smokies.

Another option in GSMNP is Smokemont, just outside of Cherokee. I think it opens a bit earlier. Lots of elk in that are too, and great wild trout fishing in the Oconoluftee and Bradley Fork in the park, and a lot of heavily stocked streams on the Cherokee Rez.

X2 on smokemont I've been going there for 26 yrs. I thought they were open year round but limited capacity, closed most of the loops during winter.

 

[NCHillbilly]

X2 on smokemont I've been going there for 26 yrs. I thought they were open year round but limited capacity, closed most of the loops during winter.

That's how they used to roll, not sure about at the moment. I know they're usually open when the rest of them are closed.

 

[DOUG 281]

They are two or three ponds on Big cove in Cherokee they keep stocked

 

[DOUG 281]

if you want some fish to eat they are many of creeks that has native fish it can be rough fishing

 

[pak]

Smokemont is a place I have ridden by hundreds of times and for whatever reason have never even driven through there. We always stop at the welcome center right out of town and Mingus mill but never been there, we might have to check it out.

Davidson River looked nice from what I could tell online and the fishing looked fairly accessible which would be nice. Definitely want to check it out.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I’ll let y’all know where we end up.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

Yes, be prepared for wild weather changes in GSMNP that time of year. I spent the first week of April in Cades Cove once. It was high 60s the afternoon I arrived. The bugs were hatching and the trout were biting. I awoke the next morning with my tent collapsed on me from the weight of the snow that had fallen during the night.

 

[Buck70]

Flurries Sunday in GSMNP

 

[NCHillbilly]

Yes, be prepared for wild weather changes in GSMNP that time of year. I spent the first week of April in Cades Cove once. It was high 60s the afternoon I arrived. The bugs were hatching and the trout were biting. I awoke the next morning with my tent collapsed on me from the weight of the snow that had fallen during the night.

And that's the lowest elevation, warmest part of the Smokies.

People die here about every year backpacking or camping somewhere back in the mountains. If you're from the warm southern flatlands where it turns springtime in March, you just can't imagine the conditions that can be possible at 5,000' or above in early springtime here. It can be nice and warm one day, then feet of snow can fall overnight, with sub-zero temps and 70 mph wind gusts following.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

And that's the lowest elevation, warmest part of the Smokies.

Yeah, I was pretty surprised to learn that Cades Cove is actually lower in elevation than my house.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Yeah, I was pretty surprised to learn that Cades Cove is actually lower in elevation than my house.

It's a limestone sink, where something collapsed back in the day.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

It's a limestone sink, where something collapsed back in the day.

That explains why Abrams creek is so fertile.

 

[NCHillbilly]

That explains why Abrams creek is so fertile.

Yep, probably by far the most fertile creek in the area. It's a limestone window that is exposed through the basement bedrock.