Cataloochee Valley

Beginning in 2001, the National Parks Service began a program to reintroduce the elk that once roamed wild in this part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Today the elk are once again plentiful and can be seen in the valley early in the morning and late in the evening. There are also wild turkeys that live in the valley and can usually be spotted in the fields as you drive through and you might see the occasional bear come out of the woods. The Cataloochee Valley is in the part of the Park closest to our home so we visit more frequently than other parts of the Park. We can easily do an afternoon for a picnic, a splash in the creek, and then drive through and see the elk as they come down from the mountains in the evening before driving home. The kids get in bed a little later than usual, but it's not ridiculous, and not even enough to throw them off the next day.

Camping June 4-5 2011

Our site: 21

There is a small campground in Cataloochee and this the location of our first family camping trip of the summer. Since it was our first trip, and we weren't sure how it would go, we decided only to stay for one night.

In the evening we drove through the valley and looked for elk. We saw a few elk and some turkeys and then headed back to our campfire where we made hotdogs for dinner and s'mores for dessert (not a hit, by the way, who'd have thunk it?) We loved the campground; it's small and quiet. In the morning when we woke up, we heard an owl; Daddy walked to the stream with me while Mommy started a fire and we saw the owl swoop down and catch a fish out of the water.

The next day after packed up and had lunch we drove to the other end of the valley and I splashed in the creek for a few hours while Daddy relaxed streamside and Mommy and Brother went hiking. When Mommy got back she said she saw a rattlesnake stretched out across the trail and a bear in the woods next to the road. We had planned to stay until dusk, but it started raining not too long after Mommy got back so we packed it up early and headed home. We still saw some elk even though we headed home early. 

Definitely one of our favorite places!

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