Curry Mountain Trail
| Trail Features: | Quiet Forest Hike |  |
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| Trail Location: | Little River Road | ||||
| Roundtrip Length: | 6.4 Miles | ||||
| Total Elevation Gain: | 1164 Feet | ||||
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 364 Feet | ||||
| Highest Elevation: | 2897 Feet | ||||
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 8.73 (moderate) | ||||
| Parking Lot Latitude | 35.67553 | ||||
| Parking Lot Longitude | -83.64643 | ||||
Directions to Trailhead:
From the Townsend "Y" intersection near Cades Cove, drive 8.0 miles to reach the parking lot for the Curry Mountain Trail. The small parking area, enough for two or three cars, will be on your right just past Metcalf Bottoms. Due to a bend in the road that creates a bit of a blind spot here, this may not be the safest place to pull out of after completing your hike. There's another small parking area on the left side of the road roughly 100 yards past the trailhead. You could also park in the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area.
From the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg you'll drive 9.3 miles to reach the Curry Mountain Trailhead.
Trail Description:
Solitude - in the heart of the Smokies - is probably the best way to describe this relatively unknown, overlooked, or little used trail located near the middle of some of the most popular destinations in the park.
Right from the start the Curry Mountain Trail begins as a relatively steep climb, ascending more than 500 feet in the first 0.8 mile. The trail runs above and parallel to Little River Road for the first half mile or so. Fortunately the river drowns out most of the traffic noise. Without summer foliage blocking your views you'll have sporadic glimpses into Wears Valley, as well as some of the surrounding mountains as you climb through this first section of trail.
At roughly 0.8 miles the trail begins to level out for awhile. Further up the trail, at roughly 2.5 miles, the footpath makes a sharp turn to the right. Begin looking towards the east (your left) for a couple of openings through the trees that offer views of the surrounding mountains, including Sugarland Mountain and Mt. LeConte in the far off distance.
At 3.2 miles you'll reach the Meigs Mountain Trail junction. If you turn right, heading west on the Meigs Mountain Trail, you'll have the opportunity to visit the Meigs Mountain Cemetery just a short distance from the junction. Also, in that same direction, is Backcountry Campsite 19, roughly one-half mile from the junction.
