TN Cherohala Loop
The Tennessee Cherohala Loop is a 185 mile long off road loop in Tennessee and briefly, North Carolina.
This trail is roughly a 50/50 pavement to off-road ratio. It can be completed in dry conditions by nearly any vehicle.
May 2019
Rigs: 2013 Chevrolet Silverado LS 4.8L
1989 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.7L
2007 Honda Element 2.4L
2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road 3.5L
For this overland adventure, we headed from Atlanta to the Nantahala National Forest near Robbinsville, NC to pickup the Cherohala Loop. Designed to be a dual-sport motorcycle route, only about 50% of the tracks are dirt or gravel. That was no problem for us considering all of the beautiful mountain highways and overlooks there were to be seen along the way.
The first night we camped at a very secluded little campsite in the Nantahala National Forest. Our friends, who this past year hiked the Appalachian Trail, joined us, and made the secluded campsite we chose that much more crowded.
The next morning, we noticed something amazing happening right outside our campsite. I’m no biology expert, having studied business administration in college, but we witnessed a truly remarkable butterfly phenomenon. There were little groups of butterflies mating up and down the road. After they had completed nature’s objective, they died. It was so sad and yet so neat to see. Below is a picture of just one group of butterflies, of which there were dozens.
We then set off for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cade’s Cove via the Cherohala Loop. The dirt roads and highways were exactly what we all needed to ease into summer and its perfect camping weather.
To our dismay, the dirt road that was supposed to take us into the park, was closed. Parson’s Branch Road is periodically closed during the summer months, and forced us to continue on the Calderwood Highway and the Foothills Parkway to Townsend, TN. However, this was far from a let down. We passed some of the most beautiful overlooks with views of Rocky Top and Clingman’s Dome.
When the National Park Service says that 11 million people visit the National Park each year, they aren’t kidding. The unbearable traffic sent us directly to the Mountain Valley Inn, where we stopped for a bite to eat and discussed our nightly plans. We opted to skip Cade’s Cove, and continue on the loop to the Cherokee National Forest in Southeast Tennessee.
We stopped for the night at a perfect campsite at Doublecamp Creek Road, in the Citico Creek Wilderness. We found a creek-side campsite which was perfect for washing dishes, brushing our teeth, and cooling off in the humid, mountain air.
That night, over bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, we discussed a big plan. One year from the day, we decided we were going to tackle the 4×4 CDT out west. This Tennessee campsite had us dreaming of fresh, Rocky Mountain air and the adventures it holds.
