Cataloochee
was the second of two rides that I decided to write up after Hurricane Helene
damaged so much of western North Carolina and extreme eastern Tennessee in
September of 2024 (Balsam). Both rides were part
of my research for my 2003 guidebook “Backroads Bicycling in the Blue Ridge and
Smoky Mountains” (Bike Guide). The nuts and bolts
of both rides are included in the book, but some of the experiences I had
riding these routes are left out. For the Cataloochee trip, I was also able to
add part of the abandoned Hoglen Road, and a short stretch of the well
maintained Asbury Trail. 
Elk in Cataloochee Valley
2002
was an incredibly busy year for Jean and I. I was contributing to the second
edition of the Knoxville Sierra Club’s “Cherokee National Forest Hiking Guide”
and finished up my scouting hikes in the Big Frog and Ocoee areas for that
project in May. In June, Jean and I completed our project of hiking all the
trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park together (900 mile finish). We would launch our
Smokies off trail hiking adventures with my climb of LeConte via Lowes Creek in
June with the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club Lowes Creek), and our solo trip on
the Green Camp Gap Manway in December (Green Camp). We managed to still
squeeze in some backpacking, including a trip to Cataloochee in October to view
the elk bugling, and get some bonus pictures for the book.
Young bear exploring our Cataloochee campsite.
My
scouting trips for the bike guide started in July. By December I was still on
schedule and nearly done with all the rides. I’d left the Cataloochee ride for near
the end, not realizing the danger of having the access roads closed by snow.
The
Cataloochee road network is unusual in that Cove Creek Gap Road, the main
access to Cataloochee is dirt, but there is an orphaned stretch of paved road
in Cataloochee Valley. The paved segment is the remnant of a now abandoned plan
to access Cataloochee from I-40 through Hoglen Gap. While the road to Hoglen Gap
was paved, the rest of the project was abandoned soon after.
Fog in Cataloochee Valley.
I
started my scouting ride at Cove Creek Gap at the park boundary. This minimized
my driving, but left a long climb at the end to regain the highpoint of the
ride. The book already had several long trips, and I was looking to add a
moderate ride in Cataloochee. So, for the book, I moved the start down to the
junction at Sal Patch Gap, which made for less climbing, plus eliminated another
section of out and back riding. The book ride would follow the gravel road down
to Cataloochee Creek, turn south and follow the road all the way to end at the
Rough Fork and Big Fork ridge trailheads. Then it would return back past the
campground and follow the paved road back to Sal Patch Gap. The 12.7 mile ride
would be a loop, with a short side trip. 
The Palmer House.
As
with my Balsam Mountain Ride in September I was going old school, using my bike
odometer, paper maps, and a notebook. But this time I recorded the loop by GPS.
I found the Cataloochee Auto Tour pamphlet to be a handy and informative. It
saved me from having to transcribe all the information on the various displays
across the valley. Cataloochee was the most settled of the areas that were
incorporated into the national park, and much effort was made to preserve the
buildings and heritage of those settlements.
From
Sal Patch Gap I rode straight across the pavement and down gravel NC 284. The
descent was smooth and easy with views of Mt Sterling ahead. After Old NC 284
turned north toward the Tennessee state line at two miles, I kept on the
Cataloochee Creek Road which continued to drop toward the creek bottom at a
bridge over the creek. That was easy! So far, so good. Next up was the Palmer
House, first built in the 1860s and used as a ranger station in the early days
of the park. 
Bridge over Cataloochee Creek
Four
miles in I reached the paved section of the Cataloochee Creek Road. Here I
turned right to continue to start the out and back section on the road along
the creek out to its most distant trailheads. The riding was easy and there had
been almost no traffic. Next I passed the seasonal Cataloochee Campground, a
potential base camp for exploring the valley. I’d pass the “new” ranger station
before getting to the end of the pavement at the Palmer Chapel at 6 miles. Just
beyond is the Cataloochee Horse Camp and the trailhead for the Pretty Hollow
Gap Trail. Pretty Hollow is one of those trial trails for hikers who need to
tolerate the heavy horse traffic, and navigate all the droppings left behind by
the horses. 
Palmer Barn in Cataloochee.
My
comrade Hiram Calwell built the next house on the route in 1906. His is a much
more modern building than the cabin style structures usually seen in the park.
The gravel road ends at the trailheads for the Big Fork and Rough Creek trails.
Unfortunately, it was time to turn around and head back. 
The Hiram Caldwell House in Cataloochee.
The
wide meadows along the road back past the Palmer House are now the prime
viewing areas for the Cataloochee elk herd. 52 elk were released into
Cataloochee Valley in 2000 and 2001. In 2002 as I was writing the book, the
release was still considered an experiment to determine the suitability of
habitat for the elk. But elk have thrived in the valley and the herd will
remain. Viewing the elk, particularly during the fall bugling season, proved so
popular that a volunteer group was created to help monitor visitor
interactions. Surprisingly, in fall Cataloochee was getting crowded. Relief
from the crowds came from an even more surprising event. A few Cataloochee elk
proved adventurous enough to explore other park areas. Some settled around the
meadows of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The lush grasses around the VC
proved prime habitat. Despite distracted drivers, the elk have prospered;
emerging dutifully at dawn and dusk to graze and be photographed. That October,
Jean and I had backpacked the short distance into nearby CS 40 to view
photograph the Cataloochee elk.
Cataloochee Elk.
I
finished the out and back leg just past the campground at ten miles where I
turned off the Cataloochee Creek onto the paved road climbing toward Sal Patch
Gap. So far the ride had been all downhill or flat, the surface smooth, and
there was almost no traffic. Now was time to pay some dues, I was 900 feet
below the Gap.
The
climb proved steady and had several good vistas, especially from the overlook
near the top. To the west I could see Balsam and Spruce mountains, and to the
north was Mount Sterling Ridge. At 12.7 miles I finished the route I would use
for the book and was ready for the adventure that I’d planned.
I
knew that the paved section of the Cataloochee Road continued past the locked
gate to the park boundary at Hoglen Gap. I also knew that the Asbury Trail
connected Hoglen Gap to Cove Creek Gap where I had parked my car. Was it
possible to ride the road, and then the Asbury Trail back to the car? This
would depend on the condition of the Asbury Trail. If the scouts had abandoned
their mission to maintain it, it could be impassable even on foot. But if
maintenance was good, it might be possible to ride it on a mountain bike.
Either way, I’d at least get a look at the paved section to Hoglen Gap. 
Start of Hoglen Gap Road.
The
Hoglen Gap Road proved to be in great shape, The wild Smokies had still not
reclaimed the unused section of pavement. The road ended just short of a fence
at the gap on the park boundary. Here the yellow blazed Asbury Trail came in
from the south alongside a collapsed rail fence.
Cataloochee Road junction.
Tentatively,
I turned south on the Asbury Trail. To my delight it proved wide, well-marked,
and easy to follow. Though it was mostly within the park, it was yellow blazed.
There were a number of small blowdowns, but nothing major. Before the trail
skirted the park boundary fence I passed a stack of stones that was probably a
collapsed chimney. I was a tremendously lucky to be on the trail with it in
such good condition. Back in those days finding any ridable single track was a
rare treat. Near the end I could see the park road below me, and the trail
became a bit rougher. Just shy of Cove Creek Gap was a metal Asbury Trail
marker, but there was no Asbury marker at the gap. I assumed that the Asbury
Trail continued east on a good dirt road that I learned on a 6-11-06 SMHC trip
was on the Hultquist Property. My extra riding only accounted for four more
miles. 
Metal marker for teh Asbury Trail.
The
Asbury Trail is an historic route across the Appalachians near the Pigeon
River. As a hiking trail, it extends along the eastern edge of the Smokies from
Mt. Sterling Gap south to Cove Creek Gap. Farther north, the historic route
presumably followed current NC 284 to Mt Sterling Village and Waterville. The
trail also extends south from the park through the Hultquist property, where
Charlie Klabunde had led a SMHC trip in 2006. Though it not an official park
trail it is managed via a cooperative agreement between the park and the Pigeon
River District, Daniel Boone Council, Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts were
responsible for the marking and maintenance of the trail, but I was unable to
confirm if that agreement is still in place. The agreement also gives the
scouts access to a campsite near the crossing of NC 284 and Cataloochee Creek. 
Charlie Klabunde leading SMHC hikers on the Asbury Trail
Jean and I would hike the rest of the Asbury Trail in two segments. On 6-10-06 (the
day before our Hultquist trip) we hiked from the crossing at Cataloochee Creek
to Cove Creek Gap and back for 5.2 miles roundtrip. That evening we hiked into
CS 41 in the Cataloochee valley, then walked back in the valley at dusk to
photograph elk. We hiked the northern section of the hiking trail from Cataloochee
Creek to Mt Sterling Gap on 7-11-09 with the SMHC as a loop hike with the Long
Bunk and Little Cataloochee trails picking up another 3.1 miles of Asbury Trail.
Smoky Mountain Hiking Club in Cataloochee.
