Adventures in
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
We did the easy 5.4 mile loop Cucumber Gap via Little River Loop trail hike at the Elkmont Campground area. The first 2.5 miles is a beautiful hike along the Little River. The second half takes us up and over the Cucumber Gap.
The trail begins on an old railroad bed converted for pedestrian use. It is wide and well maintained. Little River Trail parallels the Little River for more than 6 miles, and terminates at Backcountry Campsite #30.
If you choose to continue on Little River Trail past Cucumber Gap Trail, the trail surface gradually changes to a regular mountain trail.
The Elkmont area has a large amount of old cabins and buildings. Many no longer have anything left except for the stone chimney.
Like many towns which sprang up during the early part of this century and centered around the utilization of natural resources, Elkmont, Tennessee was quick to expand and just as quick to fade back into small town obscurity.
The town saw its beginnings in the early 1900s when three Pennsylvanians, Colonel W. B. Townsend, J. W. Wrigley, and F. H. McCormick, came south searching for virgin timberland.
In 1910, the Little River Lumber Co. deeded a tract of 50 acres of land to the existing Appalachian Club on which the group erected a clubhouse. Founded in 1907, the Appalachian Club was a hunting and fishing club of which many of the Knoxville weekenders were members.
In the end, the national park idea won out. Col. Townsend helped in its creation by agreeing to sell 76,500 mountain acres to the state which would then be transferred to the Federal Government. He also agreed to give up his lumbering empire. The town was facing its demise, for the public was not allowed to reside in national parks. Logging operations were stopped and the government began to buy the homeowners’ property. Great opposition arose from the residents and members of the Appalachian Club. They hired James Wright to defend their rights in court. Neither side would back down and no compromise was in sight. The State Park Commission was faced with two conclusions: either exclude the area in question from the proposed park or acquire the lands through purchase at the discretion of the owners and at their stated price. The National Park Service would not agree to the exclusion, and the Commission did not have the funds to pay the owners’ set prices.
A solution was finally found when the Commission and the Secretary of the Interior devised a plan whereby the landowners would be offered long-term leases to live on the property which would be purchased by the government at reduced rates. Upon grudging Congressional consent, the plan went into effect.
Hope you enjoyed this trip back in time. All-in-all, the hike was very pleasant as it was shaded and you enjoyed the river for half of the easy trek. This would be a hike that we would enjoy again, another day.
Dream Big, Travel Far, Live Well…
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