Cades Cove and Parsons Branch Road Sunday Drive: Valley So Wild Blog Series

above: spicebush berries in Cades Cove 

Cades Cove and Parsons Branch Road Sunday Drive

Valley So Wild Blog Series

 Sunday September 14, 2025

Kenny & Dana Koogler 

Photos are HERE 

   Kenny had been working a lot in the last few weeks.  Between work and helping Jared with some home renovations we haven't had much time to do anything.  We have both been worn out.   Sunday afternoon I looked at him and asked "You want to get out and do something today?" He replied yes he would.  I asked him if he'd be interested in taking a drive around the Cades Cove Loop and heading out the back on Parson's Branch Road?  He said yes that was perfect.  We hoped for the best. I had been seeing people's photos on Facebook of the cove and wanting to go.  We are both a little gun shy because of the crowds.  We'd just have to chance it.   Driving into Townsend we noticed a bunch of traffic heading out of the park.  I read that on Saturday they weren't allowing any more people into the cove and were turning them away.  I wondered what we'd find?    We arrived to find very few people and no line of traffic entering the cove!   It turned out we couldn't have picked a more perfect day or time. 

Three o clock in the afternoon on a Sunday most folks had left.  We were happy about that. 

Below I have embedded a Google map of Cades Cove Loop. The loop is eleven miles around it.

Parsons Branch starts out as Forge Creek Road with the first two miles being two way traffic. 

After that it becomes Parsons Branch Road and  the final eight miles are one way traffic. It is very primitive and requires a high clearance vehicle.  It is closed November through March.  It is at the back of the Cades Cove Loop past the visitor center and heads south.  

   We had a perfect day weather wise. It was sunny and the temperatures had moderated to a nice 75 degrees.   We got to Sparks Lane and turned to go down it. I wanted to photograph and enjoy Summer wildflowers and scenery.   I was not disappointed. It was beautiful.

    above: first field of flowers along Sparks Lane. 

above: a closer look at the flowers with mountains in the background

Below: closer look at the flowers themselves

Below: the Great Smoky Mountains across the cove.  

Below: Looking down Sparks Lane. You can see a little hint of Fall color creeping in. 

Below:  Sparks Lane and a little stream that it crosses.  

Below: a family doing wholesome activities... kids playing in the stream looking for critters and pretty pebbles while parents watch them and wade themselves! 

Below: looking upstream on the creek at the flowers

Below: deep purple New York Ironweed 

  We were enjoying the ride around the cove. The Summer's end wildflowers were putting on quite a show!  We've had a little rain lately so the streams were decent.   We saw no bears or deer.  We saw one squirrel and numerous butterflies.  We found out Monday evening that Adam, Crystal, Michael, his girlfriend Olivia, and Tessa were all out in the cove around the same time we were!  They drove the entire loop whereas we headed out Parsons Branch.   

     We did not go across Hyatt Lane today.   My past experience has been that the wildflowers aren't as abundant along it. Plus we were eager to go out Parsons Branch. It had been  a long time between visits there.    Our great fortune  held and we were able to get round to the back of the loop in excellent time.  

We didn't really get held up today by rubberneckers parking in the road either!  

     We began our Parsons Branch journey. It starts out for the first two miles as Forge Creek Road with two way traffic.    We saw a fair amount of vehicles on this leg of the trip, but the further we went the less traffic we saw.    I took advantage of every wide spot I could to get out to photograph flowers, butterflies and creeks.  

Below: first creek we saw

Below: cardinal flower 

Below: Great Blue Lobelia

Below: American Spikenard. I had to pick a leaf and a berry to smell and taste. Smells marvelous. Tastes terrible!  It is not poison and if you could stand the taste you could eat it.  It tastes too much like perfume smells. 

Below: a photo of the road near the beginning of one way travel. Now it is Parsons Branch Road proper.

Below: a glimpse of the pretty blue sky and clouds.  We saw LOTS of really massive trees on this drive.

Below: the first cascade we came to at a ford was very scenic

Below: I am in the creek in front of the cascade

Below: looking back at another vehicle getting ready to ford the stream

Above: turtleheads blooming by the creek.

Below:  Yippy for acorns! I know the bears will be tickled to see these!  

Below is a video of the first pretty cascade we came across.  I got it from several angles to show how it really is.  The road fords the creek here.  You will drive across the creek in six or seven places at least. 

  We pulled over once to let a faster vehicle pass us.    One of the things I always look for along this drive is signs of old roads or manmade structures.   I noticed the gate at Bunker Hill Lead. There used to be a fire tower up there, but no more.   I read where one guy bushwhacked to the tower site.  It did not sound fun and wasn't terribly rewarding so my interest in doing that is nil.   I know these towers were put up starting around 1933 so it was built sometime in that era.  I know a photograph was taken of the view from it in the late 1960s so it at least existed until then. Later when the tower was not in  use anymore and got in rough shape they tore it down.

Below is a photo taken in Autumn of the view from the tower by Dr. Elgin Kintner

We continued our journey. Kenny began to say things like "How long is this?" One place we came to in the middle of the trip was super steep.   We got up it with my jeep, but I'd not have wanted to attempt it in a car!  Several of the streams along the way were low flow. Driving this in Spring would be interesting.  The waterfalls would be running better and the flowers more abundant.   We got nearer the end we saw this pretty cascade I'd never noticed before. It is really nice with a plunge pool. It was surrounded by cardinal flower and joe pye weed. 

Below is a video of this pretty cascade

Below: looking back Parsons Branch Road near the cascade

  We passed some more spots where the stream had cascades.  It was lovely, deep and dark! One spot was the deepest we'd seen all day.  I could still see rocks at the bottom, but they were large!  The evening gloom was beginning to gather down in this holler.   It was strange when we popped out on Hwy 129 and it wasn't nearly so dark.   It was getting toward sun down, but still light.

 Below: another low water ford and cascade 

    

Below: on past this were more cascades and deep pools of water

Below: the final low water ford of Parsons Branch Road

    We enjoyed our drive which was capped off by a pickup truck driven by a man entering Parsons Branch road going the WRONG WAY!   We also passed a man riding a bicycle going the wrong way.

The guy pulled in and turned around and left.  I don't know what possessed him to need to turn around here.      It was an enjoyable drive.  Note to self: Come back to photograph the very last falls on this road  when we've had plenty of rain.   It was very pretty, but low flow today.