Elkmont - Little River Trail...

A Smokies Ghost Town with Hiking

The Elkmont Area in the upper Little River Valley in Tennessee, was settled in the 1840's, evolving into a logging town and later into a resort community before being absorbed into the National Park. Today, it consists of the Daisy Town Historic District (a Ghost Town with buildings from the old resort community), a campground, and access to some excellent hiking trails. (Detailed map and photos below.)

hiking, Great Smoky Mountains, Elkmont, Little River Trail

Location Map...
Elkmont - Great Smoky Mountains

View Larger Map external

Location: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee (See map)
Distance: 2/10 mile walk through historic district; 12 mile out-and-back trail, 5.4 mile loop trail
Surface: Gravel
Trailheads/Parking: Little River Trailhead, Jakes Creek Trailhead

Page Summary:

Elkmont

Daisy Town Historic District
Little River Trail
More Information and Resources

Elkmont... Comments and Photos

Features at Elkmont:

Elkmont Historic District (Daisy Town): Preserved vacation homes built between 1910 and 1935 on the former site of a logging camp. In its heyday, based around the Appalachian Club and Wonderland Hotel resorts, Elkmont was a booming resort area before creation of the National Park.
Elkmont Campground: 211 tent and RV campsites, largest in the Smokies.
Hiking: Elkmont Nature Trail, Little River Trail, Jakes Creek Trail, Cucumber Gap Trail

Daisy Town Historic District

This is a row of homes built 1910-1935 as vacation homes for wealthy families from Knoxville, on the site of an old logging camp. 18 of the historic homes and the Appalachian Clubhouse (available for event rentals) have been preserved and open to visit. Interpretative signs tell the story.

Daisy Town

Levi Trentham cabin (1845)

Little River Trail

The Little River Trail runs on an old logging railroad bed along the Little River. The gravel path is wide and flat, easy to hike and well shaded with easy river access. The hike is about 12 miles out-and-back, passing old homesites (mostly chimneys) from the area's logging/resort era, and linking to several other trails and backcountry campsites. We visited a portion of the trail, viewing several of the old building sites.

A popular option is the 5.4 mile Little River-Cucumber Gap-Jakes Creek Loop. Turn off onto Cucumber Gap Trail (more narrow and rugged with some steep sections), and return along the Jakes Creek Trail (wider but with a moderate grade).