Hannah Mountain Trail runs high along a ridge over Cades Cove
Beginning at Sam’s Gap, Hannah Mountain Trail continues nine and a half miles to Abrams Creek. This eight to ten mile hike is very long for most people. Therefore, you probably won’t hike the entire trail unless you are a serious backpacker. It is very helpful to be familiar with camping in the back country of Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
This trail offers spectacular views of Cades Cove from the grazing land on the crest of Hannah Mountain. One of the notable features of this Cades Cove trail is an enormous tulip tree located two miles from the trailhead. It stands majestically on the right, measuring ten feet in circumference.
The trail grade is easy with a smooth track. It is cushioned with thick carpets of pine needles. You will cross Abrams Creek at one point which can be hip deep at times.
The Hannah Mountain Trail has an enjoyable atmosphere, good even footing and historical significance
Long before this area became Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Cherokee Indians working for Daniel Foute in the 1840s dug this trail. Foute was the owner of the Montvale Resort on Chilhowee Mountain. Foute’s built the trail to connect his resort to beautiful Gregory Bald. His trail to Gregory Bald was a powerful draw for his resort, especially when the azaleas were blooming in the meadows above Cades Cove. The popularity of the Hannah Mountain Trail was in part responsible for the resort’s long life. This is why Smoky Mountain tourists have been drawn to the mountain meadows of Cades Cove for better than one hundred years.
Directions:
To get to the trailhead take the Cades Cove Loop past the Cable Mill area. Follow the signs to Forge Creek Road that runs into Parson Branch Road. Travel approximately four miles to the trailhead.
