If you’ve been meaning to drive one of the quiet back roads out of Cades Cove, this is the week to do it. Rich Mountain Road and Parson Branch Road are both scheduled to close for the season on Monday, November 9, according to the park’s 2026 seasonal road schedule. That makes the weekend of November 7 and 8 your last good shot until next spring.
Rich Mountain Road
Rich Mountain Road is the one-way route that leaves the Cades Cove Loop Road near the Missionary Baptist Church and climbs over Rich Mountain before dropping down toward Townsend. It’s a slower, rougher drive than the loop, with overlooks back across the cove on the way up, and it’s a nice way to skip the traffic heading back out the main entrance.
- Open this season: April 10 through November 9, 2026
- Direction: One way, out of Cades Cove toward Townsend, so there’s no turning around and coming back the same way
- Vehicle limits: No motorhomes, buses or vans longer than 25 feet, and no vehicles towing trailers
Parson Branch Road
Parson Branch Road is the more adventurous of the two. It’s a historic gravel road, first built in 1838 to connect Cades Cove with what’s now Highway 129, and the park describes it as a trail-like drive through mature forest with nearly 20 stream crossings, per the National Park Service. Along the way you’ll pass the Burchfield and Boring cemeteries and the trailhead for Gregory Bald.
To find it, take Forge Creek Road from near the Cades Cove Visitor Center, pass the Henry Whitehead Place, and turn right just before the Gregory Ridge Trailhead, as WATE explains. The road comes out on US 129, the stretch known as the Tail of the Dragon, so plan your route back to Townsend or Gatlinburg from there.
- Open this season: May 1 through November 9, 2026
- Length: About 8 miles, one way
- Vehicles: The park recommends high-clearance vehicles. Motorhomes, buses, vans over 25 feet and anything towing a trailer aren’t allowed.
More closures coming later this month
The November 9 closings are just the start. Here’s what else is on the park’s calendar:
- November 19: The weekday closures on Bullhead Trail, one of the routes up Mount Le Conte, are scheduled to end. The trail has been closed Monday through Thursday since May for rehabilitation work, and the park plans to reopen it fully in November.
- November 29: Kuwohi Road, the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and Little Greenbrier Road are all scheduled to close for the season.
- Year-round: The Cades Cove Loop Road, Newfound Gap Road and Little River Road stay open through the winter, weather permitting.
Keep in mind that a scheduled date is the latest a road will be open, not a promise. Snow, ice or storm damage can close roads early, so check the park’s current closures and cautions the morning you head out.
Tips for driving the back roads
- Fill up on gas and grab snacks before you go. There are no services on either road.
- Give yourself plenty of daylight. These are slow roads, and you don’t want to be on gravel after dark.
- Download a map ahead of time, since cell service in this part of the park is spotty at best.
- Remember a parking tag is required if you stop and park anywhere in the park for more than 15 minutes.
- If you’re making a full day of it in the park, rangers have some free programs going this month too. See our November ranger program guide.
Once these two roads close, they won’t reopen until spring, so if a quiet drive through the late-fall woods sounds good, put it on the calendar for this weekend.