Cades Cove vs Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Cades Cove vs Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail – Which is Better?

We encourage you to take both of these scenic drives if you have the time. They are both beautiful and amazing experiences.

Cades Cove field filled with yellow wildflowers against a backdrop of large, green trees, mountains, and a blue sky filled with white clouds

The Place of a Thousand Drips on Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Multiple streams of water spilling down several levels of waterfalls

But what happens if you’re pushed for time? What if your schedule forces you to choose between them? How do you decide?

This post will give you the information you need to make the right choice for you!

What's Inside This Post...

Comparing These Two Scenic Loops

Following are the answers to some questions you may have about these iconic scenic drives. This will guide you if you are forced to choose between the two.

Are Both of These Scenic Loops Convenient to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge?

(Click on either map to enlarge it.)

Map showing directions from Gatlinburg to Cades Cove

Most visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park stay in or near Gatlinburg, so convenience may be important to you.

Cades Cove is on the west side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is 28 miles from Gatlinburg, which, depending on traffic, will take you at least an hour to drive.

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, however, is only 0.9 miles from traffic light #8 on Parkway in Gatlinburg. It takes only 3 minutes to drive there!

How Long is Each Scenic Drive?

Paved road in Cades Cove with green fields on either side

Both of these roads are paved. No 4×4 required!

Cades Cove is an 11-mile loop. However, two separate roads, Sparks Lane and Hyatt Lane, intersect the loop, joining the north half with the south half. Taking either of these roads effectively cuts the length of your drive by up to two-thirds of the total distance.

Roaring Fork is a 5.5-mile loop, only half the length of Cades Cove.

Ironically, the length of each drive has little to do with how long either will last. It’s more about traffic congestion (which is often heavy) and how often you stop for photos, to play in the creek, to explore historic structures, or to hike.

What Time Is Each Drive Open Every Day?

Red, pink, and orange clouds announcing sunrise over the Smoky Mountains

Cades Cove opens its gate at sunrise every day and closes it at sunset. However, a park ranger told me that no one would chase you out at sunset. The drive actually exits through the Cades Cove Campground, not the gate, so technically, you can stay as long as you like!

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm every day.

Is Each Drive Open Year Round?

Cades Cove is open year-round, except for Christmas Day, or when the weather makes the drive “iffy.” Check the National Park Service website at www.nps.gov for the most up-to-date weather closings. (It is closed to motor vehicles all day every Wednesday so that hikers and bikers can have the road to themselves.)

Roaring Fork is closed during the winter months, December through March, due to hazardous driving conditions.

Do Both Drives Have a Visitor Center?

Cades Cove Visitor Center, an "old-timey" log cabin structure

Cades Cove has a small Welcome /Info Center at its entrance and a Visitor Center just over halfway through the drive. The visitor center includes a huge parking lot, large restrooms, a small store, and several historic structures on site. (Plus, at least two wild turkeys!) Rangers also lead programs at the visitor center.

Roaring Fork does not have a visitor center. However, its close proximity to Gatlinburg makes one largely unnecessary.

How About Restrooms?

Cades Cove has restrooms at the entrance gate and the Visitor Center. There is also a restroom at the Cades Cove Campground, located just outside the entrance, and at the trailhead for the Abrams Falls Trail.

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail has restrooms at the first Rainbow Falls parking lot, the Grotto Falls Parking lot, and at Ely’s Mill, at the end of the drive.

Where Will I See the Most Animals?

Large black bear laying down in a green, grassy field

Your chances of seeing bears, deer, or turkeys are very good in either location, especially if arrive early or make the drives around dusk, when the animals are out feeding.

Be sure to look up – bears love to nap in trees!

What about Waterfalls?

Abrams Falls in Cades Cove. Large waterfall tumbling down into a huge base pool. Hikers are taking a break on side of the pool

Cades Cove features perhaps the best waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Abrams Falls (pictured above). The trailhead is halfway through the drive. The hike is 5.0 miles roundtrip, rated “Moderate” by AllTrails, and is nothing short of majestic.

There is also a very large pool at the base of Abrams Falls, with lots of great picnic spots!

Crooked Arm Cascades is also found in Cades Cove. While it’s more of a “dripping cascade,” it’s still a very cool “waterfall.”

Water dripping off the edge of Crooked Arm Cascades.

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail features four waterfalls of its own:

Rainbow Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in the park, at 85′ high. The hike to the falls is 5.1 miles roundtrip and is rated “Moderate” by AllTrails.
Baskins Creek Falls is much less crowded than the other hikes mentioned here. If you’re looking to get away from people for a while, this is your hike. AllTrails rates the 3.2-mile (roundtrip) hike to the falls as “Moderate.”
Grotto Falls features a grotto behind the waterfall, allowing you to walk behind the falling water to the other side. The hike is only 2.6 miles roundtrip, and AllTrails rates it as “Moderate.”
The Place of a Thousand Drips sits right on the side of the road – no hiking required! On rainy days, this spot is amazing!

People scrambling on boulders at the base of Rainbow Falls

Though Cades Cove has the best waterfall in the park, Roaring Fork has twice as many.

Which Drive Will My Family Enjoy More?

Young boy peering out the backseat car window

Cades Cove is 11 miles, twice the length of Roaring Fork. The scenery is beautiful, but mostly out in the open, so children may not enjoy this experience as much.

Roaring Fork is 5.5 miles long and winds through wooded areas the whole way. It also has many places where you can pull over, park, and walk down to the creek to play in the water.

Can I Ride a Bike Through Either of These Scenic Loops?

A couple riding bikes on a paved road through a field with pink wildflowers on either side

It’s not unusual to see people biking through Cades Cove on bicycles or electric bikes. In fact, Cades Cove is closed to motor vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles) every Wednesday, so the bicyclists have the entire area to themselves!

Bicycles are not allowed on Roaring Fork.

What About Campers, RVs, Teardrop Trailers, or Motorcycles?

Car towing a camper on road with the mountains in the background

RVs, motorcycles, and campers are permissible on the Cades Cove Scenic Loop.

Motorhomes, buses, vans exceeding 25′, and cars towing trailers are all prohibited on Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. The road is narrow and has multiple tight turns, making it impossible to safely navigate with larger vehicles. Motorcycles are allowed.

What About Historical Buildings?

If you’re a history buff, then you’ll want to visit Cades Cove. The cove is home to over 90 historic structures, including cabins, churches, barns, cemetaries, and mills.

Roaring Fork, has far fewer historical structures, only six.

A Few More Questions

Can I take my dog? Sure, be it will have to stay in the vehicle the whole time, except for visitor centers and restrooms (and then it must be on a leash).

What’s the speed limit on these drives? 20 mph for Cades Cove; 10 mph for Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Can I get cell phone service while on these drives? In our experience (Verizon) cell service is usually unavailable.

The Verdict – Cades Cove vs Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail – Which is Better?

If you have the option and the time, take both of these scenic drives…and your camera. You’re going to see so much!

But if you force me to make a choice, I’ll go to Roaring Fork. It’s just a stunning place, and it “checks all my boxes”. But that’s just what I would do.

What about you?

Gateway Arch; Rocky Mountains rising above the clouds; Indian Flats Falls spilling into a large base pool