covers 22 hikes in the Smokies, including "Quiet Walkways," self-guided nature trails, and recommendations based on best views, nature lovers, history hikes, waterfalls, etc.
Cucumber Gap Loop
| Trail Features: | Stream, Wildflowers, History |  |
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| Trail Location: | Elkmont | ||||
| Roundtrip Length: | 5.6 Miles | ||||
| Total Elevation Gain: | 830 Feet | ||||
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 296 Feet | ||||
| Highest Elevation: | 3055 Feet | ||||
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 7.26 (moderate) | ||||
| Parking Lot Latitude | 35.65365 | ||||
| Parking Lot Longitude | -83.58018 | ||||
Directions to Trailhead:
From the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, drive 4.9 miles on Little River Road to the Elkmont Campground turnoff on your left. After turning into Elkmont, drive 1.4 miles until you reach the campground. Instead of proceeding into the campground, you will need to turn left to reach the parking area for the Little River Trail. The parking lot for the Cucumber Gap Loop Trail (via the Little River Trail) will be 0.6 miles from the campground.
From the Townsend "Y" intersection near Cades Cove, the turnoff for the Elkmont Campground will be 12.6 miles away.
Trail
Description:
The Cucumber Gap Loop hike can be accessed from the Little River trailhead or the Jakes Creek trailhead. For the purposes of this hike, we will begin from the Little River trailhead.
The Little River Trail is a gentle climb along an old gravel road that parallels the river with the same name. The Little River is a beautiful cascading stream with large boulders and several small waterfalls.
At the beginning of the trail
you'll pass by a few of the
old resort cottages of Elkmont. The cottages were built in the 1920s,
and were
used as summer homes by the affluent from Knoxville. As of this writing
the
homes are in disrepair and are off limits to the public. However, in
the fall
of 2008, National Park crews completed emergency stabilization to 18 of
the
historic cabins, as well as the Appalachian Clubhouse. The park plans
to fully
restore all 19 structures so that they can be opened and viewed by the
public.
As part of the first phase of the Elkmont restoration project, the Park
Service
reopened the old Appalachian Clubhouse for public day use rental in
June of
2011.
At this time there is no indication when this project will be completed. Additionally, the park plans on removing the other 55 buildings in the area and returning those sites to their natural habitats.
The Elkmont area of the park
was heavily logged from the
1800s up until 1938. In the early years logs were hauled out by ox
teams and
then floated down river. Just after the turn of the century the Little
River
Lumber Company purchased nearly 100,000 acres of timberland along the
Little
River and its tributaries. They built rail lines to Elkmont, and
eventually, a
spur that extended all the way to Clingmans Dome. This spur would
eventually
become the Little River Trail. The rail lines allowed the company to
extract
timber at a much faster rate. After the Smokies became a national park,
the
lumber company ceased operations in 1938, and had rolled up its tracks
by early
1940.
Along the early portions of the Little River Trail you'll stroll past several patches of rhododendron.
This trail is best hiked between mid-March and April if you're goal is to view wildflowers. During the early spring, you can expect to see spring beauties and trailing arbutus. As the season progresses, look for hepaticas, yellow trillium, dwarf cinquefoil, stonecrop, Canadian violets and umbrella leaf.
During the summer months, look for mountain mint as well as orange and pale jewelweed.
If you're lucky, you may spot an otter in or near the water. Between 1988 and 1990 park biologists released 14 river otters in the Little River as part of a successful effort to reintroduce the species throughout the Smokies.
At roughly 2.2 miles you'll reach Huskey Branch Falls, a small 20-foot cascade that tumbles into the Little River. The waterfall flows down the slope of the hill next to the trail before running underneath a footbridge.
At just under 2.5 miles you'll reach the Cucumber Gap Trail Junction. To continue the loop, turn right onto Cucumber Gap Trail.
Shortly after turning onto the new trail you'll begin a steady climb. Over the course of the next mile the trail climbs roughly 400 feet. This section of trail seemed to have an inordinate number of roots protruding out of the ground. At least for me, it seems that there's always two or three of these that seem to reach out and trip me while I'm hiking.
Without a cascading river next to you, the new trail offers a quiet alternative to the Little River Trail. There isn't anything of particular note about this trail, although we did see a fair amount of wildlife. We saw a large pileated woodpecker as well as a young doe that showed no fear as she approached us while we were taking a snack break. Further along, four wild turkeys crossed the trail roughly 20 yards in front of us.
At roughly 4.8 miles, you'll reach the Jakes Creek Trail junction where you’ll want to turn right onto the gravel road. Proceed another 0.3 miles to reach the Jakes Creek Trailhead. To complete the loop and return back to your car, walk a half-mile down the paved road to the Little River Trailhead. As you walk down this road you'll pass several more of the old dilapidated summer homes.
