When I wrote my Smokies to Blue Ridge biking guide I was looking for a set of rides fit for any biker. For the Cades Cove area in the Smokies that meant sticking to the main 11 -mile loop and not venturing out onto any of the adjacent gravel roads. But for more prepared riders there are plenty of opportunities here to get off the asphalt and onto the gravel.
First
up are Sparks and Hyatt lanes that both bisect the Loop Road. Typically, when I
ride Cades Cove, I’ll use these two -way gravel roads to add a 5.8-mile loop to
my ride. Another option is to ride out and back on the Rich Mountain Road to
the park boundary at Rich Mountain Gap, which adds 7.1 miles each way. My
favorite add-on is out and back on the Forge Creek Road, with its gentle rolls
and lack of traffic which adds 2.4 miles each way.
The
final link in the network is the 8.2 miles of the gravel Parson Branch Road,
which extends from near the end of the Forge Creek Road to the park boundary at
US 129, aka “The Tail of the Dragon.” Both Rich Mountain and Parson Branch are
used as escape routes from the terrors of Cades Cove traffic and are one-way
only for vehicles. Bikes, however, can go in either direction. While Rich
Mountain is solid well-maintained gravel, Parson Branch is not. Commonly, Parson
Branch is closed due to washouts, which may take years to fix, only to reoccur
again the next season. Parson Branch is too unreliable to be useful as a road,
and it’s a mystery why the park has not bowed to the inevitable, and turned the
troublesome road into a trail. 
Riding Cades Cove, 2006
However,
when Forge Creek Road is open, Parsons Parson can usually be ridden. Most folks
pair it with a ride around the Cades Cove Loop Road, and some hard cores also
add the Rich Mountain Road for a very full day of riding. Mark and I had been
riding regularly with our friend Matt and we decided to do the Loop Road/Parson
Branch version which would give us about a 30 -mile day. Mark and Matt are both
stronger riders so I was looking at a day spent bringing up the rear.
Group ride in Cades Cove, 2023.
I
used the opportunity to take notes to check the mileages on the Cades Cove Loop
for my guide book, but I did not use a GPS and only took a few slides. We also
rode the 1.0 -mile roundtrip gravel spur to the Abrams Creek Trailhead. And we took
the side trip to the visitors center at Cable Mill, where I noticed they didn’t
stock any biking books or Countryman Press (My publisher) titles. Next, we
headed out on the Forge Creek Road. The smooth gravel was flatter and easier
riding than the busy Cades Cove. Loop. After the Henry Whitehead Place, we
followed the pretty creek closely and had bridges for a few crossings. About
2.2 miles down Forge Creek we came to the gate at the east end of the Parson
Branch Road.
The
first half mile of Parson Branch showed why it should have been closed. The road
was rutted rocky, and narrow. The initial grade was very steep, and the roadbed
was loose. There was simply no way to divert water from flowing down the road.
Whatever patchwork repairs were made after a washout could only be temporary.
Early
on we met two men from the Smoky Mountain Soil Survey, part of a five -year
USDA project. They indicated that the road would be permanently closed, but
that was not the case. The team was very anti-horses in the park due to their
impact on trail erosion. About 2.5 miles in, we came to a concrete auto ford,
after a short, steep climb. At 3.3 miles we reached the top of the climb at the
Hannah Mountain/Gregory Ridge Trailhead which was simply a small parking area.
A
steep descent led to another auto ford through Parson Branch. At 4.6 miles we
came to the locked gate at the start of the abandoned road to the Bunker Hill
Fire Tower site. I’d ridden this far in 1994 on my attempt to ride all the way
to Bunker Hill (Bunker Hill), but the rest of the Parson
Branch Road would be new to me. The start of the Bunker Hill Road still looked
in good condition, but I knew that it became overgrown in a short distance.
The rest of the remaining descent to US 129 at
8.2 miles was a fun downhill with lots of auto fords and two wooden bridges.
The road was badly washed out between the second and final auto fords.
The rest of the ride was the return trip on the Parson Branch and Forge Creek roads, plus the remainder of the Cades Cove Loop. The ride took from 9:30 to 4:15, a tolerable pace, even for me. Parson Branch would be too steep for many riders, but I thought Forge Creek was nice enough to accommodate most bikers. Parson Branch Road is closed to vehicles in winter, typically from November to April. Forge Creek Road is generally closed in January and February and also may be closed when wet to prevent ruts. For 2025, the vehicle free Wednesdays in Cades Cove extend from June 18 to September 24.
5-51-05,
Smokies, Mountain Bike, Cades Cove and Rich Mountain Road
After
15 years or so of riding my faithful Specialized Stumpjumper it was finally
time for a new bike. The Stumpjumper had served me well through all my riding
while living in the Black Hills, through a lull in my riding after moving to
Knoxville, and then through another busy period sparked by my writing the
Smokies to Blue Ridge backroads guide (Here). Jean was riding
enough that we had gotten her a new bike, and we realized my riding could use
an upgrade with a different set of wheels (Including a front shock!). When I
had brought the Stumpjumper into the shop for a tune up, the guys at
Riversports told me that getting the new bike would be cheaper than a full tune
up. The Stumpjumper was moved down to my folk’s place on Sanibel, and I used it
as a greenway bike on our vacation visits.
For
the first ride on my new Fisher Tassajara I chose a route in Cades Cove with
Mark. We planned to ride the Cades Cove Loop, with a new (to us) side trip out
and back on the Rich Mountain Road, and a familiar side trip out and back on
the Forge Creek Road. This was a Saturday, and in those days the Loop Road was
closed to vehicles until 10AM. It wouldn’t be until 2020 that the park went to
the full day Wednesday closures.
Deer grazing in Cades Cove 2023.
We
parked at the nearly full lot near the gate. The Saturday half-day closures
were popular, but not nearly as crowded as the more recent full day Wednesday
closures are. I noted mileages to check on my guidebook write up, but I did not
take photos or use a GPS.
It
was 3.1 miles to the start of the Rich Mountain Road. A sign there indicated
7.1 miles of one-way single lane gravel to the park boundary, and 12 miles to
Townsend. A mile in there was a good vista with a view down to the Methodist
Church in Cades Cove. The road surface was in great shape and the hills gently
rolling. We passed the lower end of the Indian Grave Gap Trail, and another
overlook with a view of Gregory Bald. A little over 6 miles in there is a
concrete stream ford. One more brief climb brought us the lower end of the Rich
Mountain Trail and the parking area for Ace Gap Trail at the park boundary at
10.2 miles. 
Cades Cove Barn, 2006
The
mostly downhill return seemed flat, fast, and fun. We continued around the Loop
Road to reach the start of Forge Creek Road at 19.8 miles and rode Forge Creek
out to the Gregory Ridge Trailhead at 22 miles. At 24.4 miles we were back on
the Loop Road again. We finished the Loop Road at 29.2 miles, and at about
3:30.
The
Fisher bike performed well. Even for gravel ride with Mark, 30 miles in 3.5
hours was a fast pace. I took few notes beyond noting mileages. The Rich
Mountain Road is typically closed in winter from November through April.
I
would next take the new bike off road to Haw Ridge on 6-17-05. The advantages
over the old bike were that it was lighter for climbing, and the front shock both
smoothed out the downhills and helped the handling by keeping the front tire on
the ground. Shifting was easy and the brakes worked. Both bikes had caliper
brakes, but everything was worn out on the Stumpjumper.
