Courtesy
A Little Courtesy & A Few Rules
With millions of Smokies visitors coming to Cades Cove every year, a few rules of courtesy can makes visits more pleasant for everyone.
- Drive slowly along the Cades Cove loop for the safety of hikers and bikers and wildlife crossing the loop. The speed limit is 20 mph.
- When viewing wildlife or simply admiring a beautiful view, please use the roadside pullouts so that traffic does not build up on the Cades Cove Loop.
- It is also good citizenship to leave the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as you found it.
- Pets are not allowed on trails-only in campgrounds on a short leash.
- It is illegal to pick or dig flowers and other plants found in Cades Cove.
- No fires are allowed in Cades Cove except in designated campsites and picnic grounds.
It is also illegal to feed bears and other wildlife in The Great Smoky Mountain National Park. To do so emboldens the bears to approach other Smokies tourists. A bear that is mannerly with you, may later attack someone else in search of a treat. Officials of GSMNP recommend scaring bears away from campsites by making lots of noise and appearing large and aggressive. Banging pots together, yelling and waving your arms makes most bears retreat.
There are over seventy historical buildings preserved in The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, most of them in Cades Cove. It is illegal to deface the structures with graffiti, carvings or in any other way. Help us preserve our mountain heritage by reporting problems of this type to GSMNP officials. The number to call is 865-436-1200.
