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The 'Little River' of Tennessee is a scenic river which drains a 380 square mile area containing some of the most spectacular scenery in the southeastern United States. The first 18 miles of the river are all located within the borders of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The remaining 33 miles flow out of the mountains through Blount County to join the Tennessee River at Stock Creek and Ft Loudon Lake in Knox County

Contents

History, Course & Geology

References, Sources and Links

History, Course & Geology

'Source to Elkmont (7 miles)'
The Little River rises in Sevier County inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the north slope of Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Tennessee. Clingmans Dome is located directly on the Tennessee and North Carolina state line, which at this point is largely followed by the Appalachian Trail. The stream is soon paralleled by a restricted access four-wheel drive road which leads into Elkmont. Elkmont was originally a logging camp for the Little River Lumber Company, and a station on the Little River Railroad. In the 1920's a series of cabins and inholdings, including the Wonderland Hotel, were leased to private citizens. The leases remained intact until 2001, when the last lease expired.
The road improves at Elkmont to become one which is easily suitable for most vehicles. This section of the river is not navigable, but does offer excellent fishing for native brook trout.
'Elkmont to the Townsend Y (10 miles)'
From just below Elkmont, the stream is followed by State Route 73, also known as Little River Road, which connects the two major Tennessee entrances to Great Smoky Mountains National Park: those in Gatlinburg and Townsend. The stream, like the road that follows it, is quite sinuous. The road is built on the bed of the Little River Railroad that was used for logging purposes prior to the establishment of the park.
Along the course of the Little River are several views of small waterfalls which run into the Little River, especially during wet weather. One waterfall, Meigs Falls, is visible from the road and is provided with a parking turnout. Additionally, there are parking turnouts for trails leading to numerous places. About midway between Gatlinburg and Townsend is the Metcalf Bottoms picnic area. The Little River flows through the picnic area providing an attractive area for summer picnics and wading.
An attraction visible along the road below Metcalf Bottoms is "The Sinks". The Sinks is where the river flows over a ten foot (three meters)waterfall into a large pool, and then seems to disappear for a small distance. (Unlike streams in a limestone area, which may actually "sink" for a considerable distance, this is more a question of appearance than of the stream truly "sinking", which is not feasible in this area of ancient Precambrian metamorphic rock.) Below the Sinks, the Little River is navigable in high water with a kayak.
Continuing to follow TN 73 the stream crosses into Blount County.
At the Townsend Y the Little River is joined by the Middle Prong of the Little River.
'The Middle Prong (9 miles)'
The Middle Prong of the Little River drains the watershed between Buckeye Gap and Spence Field. The Middle Prong is joined by the Lynn Camp Prong and Panther Creek before flowing into Tremont. The Middle Prong is shadowed by the old roadbed of the Little River Railroad for almost all of its nine mile length.
Laurel Creek, which has drained the White Oak Sink area, joins the West Prong which drains the area beneath Spence Field. The West Prong then joins the Middle Prong a mile east of the Townsend Y at the road to Tremont.
Only the stream below the Great Smoky Mountains Institute in Tremont is navigable by kayak in high water. Fishing is considered to be excellent along the Middle prong.
'Townsend Y to Walland (14 miles)'
The Townsend Y is a favorite swimming hole in the summer and is generally packed with cars and people. Many tubers use the Y as the jumping off point for a mile long float down the river. The Little River now turns north, flowing out of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into Tuckaleechee Cove and Townsend. From this point forward, with the exception of two old mill dams, the Little River can be navigated in a kayak at normal water levels. Tubers typically travel from the Townsend Y to the vicinity of the first mill dam (above the Highway 321 bridge). This portion of the river has intermittent rapids and swimming areas, as well as large rocks in middle of the river (such as Gallaher Rock near Cedar Bluff Way) that are suitable to rest at.
In Townsend, the river begins to be followed by U.S. Highway 321. Townsend sits in Tuckaleechee Cove, a Paleozoic limestone area noted by the presence of Tuckaleechee Caverns, a large cave operated as a tourist attraction during the tourist season, roughly defined as April to October. The drainage from the cave enters the Little River just below Townsend.
Townsend is laid out in the cove along the Little River valley. Three decades ago it was largely undeveloped, with a few small "mom and pop" style hotels and restaurants; now major chains have built larger lodging facilities, although not yet comparable to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge. Of interest are the Little River Railroad Museum and the Greenway that parallels U.S 321. The The Townsend area was once the site of many scenic swinging bridges over the Little River; liability concerns have caused most of these to be dismantled in recent years. One bridge does remain, at the northern end of Townsend, in an area once known as Kinzel Springs.
The Little River continues to flow north through Miller Cove into the small community of Walland, which is at the current time the northern terminus of the Foothills Parkway, a national parkway.
'Walland to Fort Loudon Lake (20 miles)'
Beyond Walland, the Little River is essentially out of the mountains. It no longer displays the extreme clarity and attractive rocky bottom of its upper reaches and resembles a more typical stream in a moderately rolling, somewhat rural area.
The section from the old mill dam below Walland (known locally as Perry's Mill) to the entry into Ft Loudon Lake, approximately 19 miles, is fully navigable with a canoe under normal conditions. Below Perry's Mill the Little River flows through farmland, under U.S. Highway 411, through the cities of Maryville and Alcoa and the small community of Rockford. Approximately 85,000 residents of these communities draw drinking water from the river. Three creeks, Pistol Creek, Short Creek and Crooked Creek join the Little River within the cities. These three creeks are considered "impaired", contributing to a designation of the Little River as "threatened" by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation The Little River flows into a surprisingly large (given the size of the stream) embayment of the Fort Loudon Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River along U.S. Highway 129, where a small marina is located. The Little River forms the line between Blount County and Knox County for the last few miles of its course.

References, Sources and Links

★ Elkmont

★ Tukaleechee Caverns

★ Little River Watershed Association