The Cataloochee valley is one of my favorite areas of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. My fascination of it grew after reading the Wayne Caldwell's book Cataloochee which was a fictionalized account of life in the half century prior to the park taking the land over. (I highly recommend the book). Although it is off the beaten track and involves a twisty gravel mountain road to reach it, the valley gets significant visitation. It was bolstered in 2001 when the park reintroduced elk, an experiment that has been more successful than they may have planned. The large majority of visitors only see part of the picture. The community of Cataloochee was divided into Big Cataloochee and Little Cataloochee. It is to Big Cataloochee that the main road goes and where you will find the campgrounds and many historical structures such as houses, barns, the post office, the school house and--my favorite--Palmer Chapel. To see what remains of Little Cataloochee you must exit your car and hike.
My route today started in Big Cataloochee at the trailhead for Pretty Hollow Gap trail. That section of trail has the relaxing cascades of Palmer Creek to the left and the horse camp to the right. This trail would take you all the way to Mount Sterling Ridge trail if you kept going, but the Little Cataloochee Trail intersects it less than a mile in. This will take you over the ridge separating the two communities. For at least a mile, the trail runs alongside and crosses Davidson Branch. The problem with that is that it often serves as a secondary path for the creek. There are sections of trail in the first two miles that are perpetually muddy or full of water. If you abandon the notion that you will keep your feet dry the entire hike, you will have a much happier time.
Roughly two-thirds of the way up to the gap, you will see signs of the Messer Homestead. There is a stone wall forming a plateau where the house likely was located. Dandelions and other botanical clues are there with some stones suggesting a foundation. All that resides there is a hog trap (there is a large population of non-native wild boars that were brought from Europe). Further up you will see the walled creek that was likely where a grist mill sat.
After a long switchback, you will arrive at Davidson Gap and begin your descent into Little Cataloochee. You will begin to notice some of the stone walls that terraced fields and channeled water. I soon spied a patch of Mayapples and was admiring them when I heard a snort. My first thought was it was a horse as they use that trail. But it was coming from a ridge to the side, not the trail. I looked up and spotted one of those wild boars--the first I've seen. I was excited and slightly apprehensive as they have been known to attack people. He scampered along the ridge and I swung my camera in his direction, clicking off shots but did not capture him. I did get some nice Mayapple pictures.
After descending perhaps a mile, you will reach the Dan Cook cabin, originally build in 1860. It was rebuilt in 1999 using mostly original materials. Across the way from the cabin are the stone remains of what I've been told was a potato storage house. At this point the trail becomes a gravel road.
About a half mile further down, you will reach the lovely Little Cataloochee Baptist church. There was a beautiful flame azalea across from it. The church has a large cemetery with many burials taking place after the formation of the park. You can also go inside to view the church's simple white bench pews and wood burning stove in the middle.
The road begins another descent to reach Little Cataloochee Creek. Here you can see again the stone walls lining the creek that probably led to another grist mill. At this point the road begins an ascent and a short distance later I reached my lunch spot and turn-around point: the Hannah Cabin. A short distance past that, the Long Bunk Trail goes to the left up to Mt Sterling Trail and is the location of Hannah Cemetery. Another mile past that intersection, you will reach the tiny Little Cataloochee trailhead on Mt Sterling Road, a rough gravel road that runs 16 miles between Cataloochee and Big Creek. If you have two cars, you could do a shuttle hike of 6 miles.
After enjoying my lunch on the cozy front porch of Hannah cabin, I made my way back to Big Cataloochee. The day had warmed up wonderfully and the butterflies were fluttering everywhere. I encountered two couples coming up the trail from Pretty Hollow Gap Trail which I believe is twice the number I have encountered in previous hikes. This is a great trail for solitude.
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