Rich Mountain Loop Trail
Published May 20th, 2006 in Hiking, Hiking Log, Smoky Mountains
We arrived in Cades Cove around 7:00 and parked at the information center parking lot. After getting our gear together, we set off for our hike around 7:15. It was a chilly October morning. Chilly enough that I wore a light sweater for a little while until I got warmed up from walking. We walked along the edge of a field until we came to the first trail intersection.
The Rich Mountain Loop trail is actually composed of 3 trails: The Rich Mountain trail, the Crooken Arm Ridge trail, and the Indian Grave trail. There are two ways to can make this hike. You can either go left and ascend on the Rich Mountain Loop trail, passing by the John Oliver cabin, or you can go right and ascend up Crooked Arm Ridge trail.
We chose right and began our ascent. Crooked Arm Ridge trail is a 2.2 mile hike with a 1400′ elevation gain. The fall colors were in full swing and there were one or two spots that offered great views of Cades Cove as well as Rich Mountain. Crooked Arm Ridge intersects with SCott Mountain trail and Indian Grave Gap trail. Scott Mountain trail will take you down to an intersection with Chestnut Top trail, which will lead you to the Townsend Wye.
After a quick snack, we continued on Indian Grave Gap trail, with about 500 feet of ascent in just under 2 miles. As we climed, we started getting into the cloudline once we reached the top ridge of Rich Mountain. It was really socked in. On clear days, there are spectacular views of the Townsend and Tuckalechee areas, as well as views into the Cove.
We started down the mountain, intersecting with the Loop trail. There are several spots here where you can get great views of the Cove. We continued down, passing a good many people who had probably walked up from the John Oliver cabin, which is where we were heading. We took a break behind the cabin, relaxing and soaking up the sun.
We finished up just after lunch and stopped back off at the Little River Grill in Townsend for a tasty burger and some potato logs.