North Carolina Secret Back Door to Great Smoky Mountains

Many of the gated North Carolina mountain communities offer folks searching for homes all kinds of bells and whistles when it comes to structured amenities. However, after living in the area, we understand how valuable quick access is to natural amenities, places like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. These coveted national treasures are free amenities you’ve already paid for as an American taxpayer! Quality hiking trails and water features continue to rank high on the list of demands from those buying mountain vacation homes who desire to live near the great outdoors during retirement.

This week, we visited Cataloochee Valley twice in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We entered the park from Exit 20 off Interstate 40 in Waynesville North Carolina. Not many folks know about this backdoor entrance to the park. After exiting Interstate 40, the roadway winds through an old residential neighborhood leading to a narrow gravel road. A four-wheel drive vehicle is not necessary to travel further.

The hard gravel road continues for about 10 miles until the road reconnects with a paved roadway. Within 3 miles, Little Cataloochee Valley opens up into a scenic valley. In the early 1800s, settlers built a mountain neighborhood here. Palmer Chapel was the community’s Methodist Church. Beech Grove School provided schooling to their children. The Caldwell House, Woody House, and Palmer House are still historic homes you can explore in the valley along with Palmer Chapel and Beech Grove School which hug picturesque Cataloochee Creek. In 1928, rumors traveled to the neighborhood that the government planned to establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. By 1938, the majority of early settler families had moved away.

Cataloochee Valley is very popular, especially during the North Carolina fall foliage season. Bugling elk can be easily viewed in the valley, during the early morning hours, and at sunset. Elk had been virtually non-existent until 2001 when the National Park Service re-introduced elk to the park. We observed dozens of elk grazing in the valley, both during our morning and sunset visits and we were not alone. Professional photographers with arms-length camera lenses were right by our side. We watched males engage in mating behavior, including bugling echoing throughout the valley, to attract females and ward off competing males.

There are three scenic hiking trails in the valley which include Rough Fork Trail, Pretty Hollow Trail, and Little Cataloochee Trail. The more adventurous can camp overnight at the park’s campground to enhance their outdoor experience. Overall, there are over 800 miles of hiking trails in the park.

If you’re searching for Waynesville NC real estate, we encourage you to make the time to experience what’s offered beyond a community's gated entrance, before you make a home-buying decision. For example, Sunset Falls at Bald Creek is one of the closest North Carolina mountain communities to Cataloochee Valley. Sunset Falls at Bald Creek has quick access to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Cataloochee Ski Resort, and Lake Junaluska. Not only does this intimate gated North Carolina mountain community have immediate access to the Parkway, but you’ll find some of the best scenic lookouts and hiking trails located in this section of the parkway. Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville is another nearby golf community. The high-density neighborhood featuring mountain vacation homes is set in a traditional country club atmosphere.

Balsam Mountain Preserve is in the same region and is very close to one of the Blue Ridge Parkway's entrances. Another one of the well-known North Carolina mountain communities, the preserve has outstanding lifestyle amenities. Their full-service equestrian center is connected to 34 miles of groomed horse trails. Balsam’s golf course is one of the prettiest mountain golf courses we've seen. Life at Balsam is about privacy and living in your own low-density nature preserve. The Ruby Valley Sports Center and first-class Boarding House Restaurant add modern conveniences to this rustic mountain resort atmosphere and mountain vacation homes.

Ask us if you like our top picks of North Carolina mountain communities near the Blue Ridge Parkway or Cataloochee Valley. We can also arrange for you to be our guest at Sunset Falls at Bald Creek and Balsam Mountain Preserve while you compare Waynesville NC real estate.

Write info@communityfinder.com or call us toll-free at 843-564-8067. It's our pleasure to help.