If you bike, come on a Wednesday when they close off the loop for bikes only. That is worth the trip. The park facilities are stuck in the 80's (also about the last time they put any money into it). Not even a single shower, to say nothing of power, sewer or even 50% of the slabs being level enough to not use all your leveling devices. With 10,000 acres available you think one of the busiest parks on the East Coast could lay out a modern campground. Wildlife was extensive - bears are very common here so camp like it. Expect deer, turkeys, and lots of birds. Can't believe how limited the biking is for a park with this much open space and trails. read more

My father called the night before our bike trip on 8/23/23 (a Wednesday, which is a vehicle free day). We were told that bike reservations were sold out and had to be claimed at 7am, which did not interest us even if the reservations were available. Nonetheless, the woman on the phone was very friendly and told us that we were likely to be able to rent a bike, since they're constantly being returned. We started our bike ride at around 2:30, after being given a safety briefing and signing waivers electronically. The system seemed very efficient. Helmets are required for those 16 and under. The bikes we had were 7 speed. We finished the full 11 mile loop in a little over 2 hours and returned the bikes where we retrieved them. We rented the bikes for 2 hours, and were not charged for the additional 20 minutes it took for us to complete the loop. After returning the bikes, we enjoyed ice cream and fountain soda. It was the perfect way to end our scenic bike ride. (BTW- we saw wild turkeys, and 3 black bears along our ride). It was AMAZING. read more

See all

Look out for that bear! This is a great place is Cade's Cove to get provisions. They've got all kinds of stuff with Great Smoky Mountains stamped all over it. If you need any kinds of souvenirs, post cards, magnets, picture frames, or so on, they've certainly got it. They also have a bunch of provisions that would be pretty useful if you left your flashlight at home, or needed a camp stove or some fuel. They've got you covered. When I went, it seemed that most of the people working there were enthusiastic volunteers, and seemed to be genuinely having fun being there. They happily sold me a bunch of stuff to make the trip even more fun! They also rent bikes here, so it's sort of the central meeting place. When I went, they were having an end of the season sale, and everything was 60% off! Wooot!!! Yea, the original prices were high, but the discount helps. There's a large stuffed bear that guards the door to this place- he's nice though. read more

Perfect place to rent an affordable well maintained 18 speed bicycle for the 11 mile loop around Cades Cove. The loop is mostly flat, with some uphill climbs. I'm 36 and personally could not make the ride without getting off my bike from time to time to walk it up hill. It's not too long, and not too short. read more

See all

The campground is lovely - Just stay away from the campground store. For a regular box of graham crackers, the tag on the shelf says "1.57". But when you get to the register, the cashier tells you the price is $6.51 (No sales tax). For a stick of beef jerky the tag on the shelf says "2.99". See if you can guess the actual price at the register! With those prices you might expect the cashier to say "thanks" or "have a nice day", or maybe even give you some eye contact. Don't get your hopes up. read more

Park rangers were great . We got in two hours later than we should and they did everything to make sure we were set up . Was quiet, cool nights and lots to do . Had a store with ice cream and hot good and things to buy. No Showers at all ! Had bathrooms . We had a camper so we were set . Can run generator from 8-6 to charge batteries .Would do again Debra and mike bush Goose creek SC read more

Cades Cove Campground Store - a water wheel - Bike Rentals Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

See all

Wood and ice came out to almost $50 this place is way over priced. Love the campground.

This review is specifically regarding the bike rental and general manager. We came early on a Saturday morning to rent bikes to ride the loop before it was open to vehicles. When we arrived there were multiple others attempting to rent bikes and they were not open. After hunting down staff and finally finding the manager we were first told they don't rent when it's raining. Makes sense - however it was blue skies, so we were then told they don't rent when the pavement is wet. The ranger and staff of the park were unaware of this being a policy and it is also not stated anywhere on their website or was mentioned when several of the others around us had called prior to arriving to verify before they drove in. If there is in fact a policy, fine, but the real problem was the attitude and lack of people skills from the manager, Jack Hostetter (or so we think he was the manager because he denied being so at first). He story kept changing at one point he told us his bikes were unsafe-pretty sure he was trying to say the roads were unsafe however there were many other cyclists out that morning. My husband asked at one point if the pavement dries later would he rent to which his response was 'do you know what walk means?' He was rude, argumentative, and had a lot of upset people in the park. I highly suggest Cades Cove Trading Company LLC find a new general manager before the National Park Service gets a new vendor. I imagine there will be a number of additional reviews similar to this based on the amount of people we spoke to in the park that had the same experience. It's a shame for such a beautiful location to be tarnished by such poor management. We otherwise thoroughly enjoyed our trip here. read more

Cades Cove Campground Store - Manager getting attitude with the customers - Bike Rentals Near Me - Townsend, Tennessee

Review for the campground If you are looking to see the animals late in the evening or early in the morning this a great place to stay. It is right outside the entrance to Cade Cove. If you are staying in Gatlinburg its an hour drive to Cades Cove on a very twisty road. Like most National Park Campgrounds this is a dry camping. A dump station and water are avaiable onsite. Generators are allowed to be used during the day on one side of the campground, if you need to top off your batteries. If you prefer quiet, there is no generator section. All sites have a firepit/grill and picnic table. read more

We stopped here twice during our visit. The first time it was closed (5pm on a Tuesday) so we just used the bathroom. The second time we got ice cream which is highly overrated! It's more like ice milk and it was $16 for 3 cake cones and a kid cone. Yikes. The store itself is clean but very cramped with souvenirs of all types. Prepackaged food was pricey. I asked for directions at the cashier station and the man wasn't very helpful or friendly. Also, there was a tip container at both the food counter and the cashier. Never heard of tipping a cashier before. read more

We showed up ten minutes past the cut off time for renting bikes (which was not posted on the website) after driving 30 miles to get there. The woman just looked at us and said "no more bikes today." No I'm sorry or anything. When we asked what else there was to do, the only suggestion she had was to drive around the loop which turned out to be equally frustrating and less scenic than the actual drive out there. If this place had ANY competition, it would go under within a year. read more

Took a friend new to the area to Cades Cove. We rented bikes from the campground store. Sadly, it rained MOST of the 11 miles around the loop. We stopped a couple of times and the chain kept slipping off one of the bikes, which was frustrating. The guy who rang us up gave us the bikes FOR FREE, for 4 hours. THANKS MAN. Great experience, despite the rain! read more

Great little place to stop after making the loop in Cades cove. They offer souvenirs and other things related to the park. Plus you can't go wrong with a ice cream cone on a warm summer day. I stop every time I'm in the park. read more

If you are a biker, this will be a good loop for you. If you are older and an occasional biker and in only so so shape, this will be hard on you. We had to push bikes up a lot of hills and the downhills are quick runs. But we did make it and we did enjoy it. We stopped to look around at many of the spots, so that takes time and energy. One bike needed air in a tire half-way through and we had to ask other tourists for a pump. The stops around the part need to offer a pump. Go for the electric bike unless you are a regular biker. You will enjoy the loop much, much more. It is very scenic and nice on the bikes. You can enjoy the great outdoors just as well on an electric bike and if you are not a regular biker, do you really want to work hard on vacation? Not this hard. It took us about 4.5 hours. They charged us for 2. That was really nice of them. I don't know what an electric bike is like, but that is what I plan on next time. Also, spend some time to get a good fit on a bike and make sure you are happy with it and with the settings. Also, traffic was backed up getting out of the loop, but we rode past them on the shoulder. That was a bit dangerous, but we weren't going to sit in line on the bikes. A bike lane would have been nice. read more