Steep drop offs, no guardrails, a gravel road. These make for the beginning of an extraordinary adventure. This will also greet any adventurer traveling to the Cataloochee Valley, which is nestled among a rigid mountain terrain in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Once one of the largest settlements, Cataloochee Valley was home to farmers and fishermen who worked off the land. Now this isolated valley serves as the home to a herd of elk, which were reintroduced to the park in 2001.

For more information about the park please visit the National Park Services website at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/cataloochee.htm.