I saw this place on tiktok by Daisytown and also Elkmont. The drive out here is a lil wonky and…read morewill take a long time to get out here. If you are handicap, you dont have to pay for parking. But otherwise you need to get a day pass at the visitor center.

Thanks to Google Maps (and my thorough trip itinerary planning), I had discovered the historic…read more(once a) "ghost town" of Elkmont. For America's most visited national park, it can be difficult to escape the crowds within the Great Smoky Mountains--yet Elkmont is one place to do just that! This Little River Valley was once home to a pioneer Appalachian community, a logging town, and later a resort community. To this day, old relics and abandoned buildings from the past remain--awaiting to be explored. The area was settled in the 1840s as the town of Little River when a logging company was formed. A railroad was later constructed to transport timber for the Little River Lumber Company. This eventually allowed the wealthy from Knoxville to visit what eventually became a resort town. When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was was established in 1934, residents were given the option to sell their homes at full price and relocate, or sell to the National Park Service (NPS) for a discounted price allowing them to live there until they become deceased. By 1992, most of the homes remained vacant or with expired leases leading 70+ historic buildings into a state of deterioration. Thankfully the NPS decided to renovate and preserve 19 buildings in Elkmont for public visitation. You can now find the Elkmont Historic District with cabins along Jakes Creek Road that were completed around 1997. They attempted to keep the buildings in the closest original condition--even their exterior paint colors! Each cabin has information about the tenants and any unique features. Unfortunately, the cabins cannot be brought up to code for renting or staying inside. However, the largest lodge known as the Appalachian Club is available as an event venue. Continue to explore the Old Elkmont Cemetery up a rocky road near the beginning of Elkmont Road, or choose to hike the Jakes Creek or Little River Trails where you will venture past less discovered old chimneys, walls and tractors that still remain. Directions: Coming from Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge or Cherokee, turn to go west on Fighting Creek Gap Road toward Cade's Cove (turn off near the Sugarlands Visitor Center). After the Laurel Falls trailhead, watch for signs to Elkmont Campground. Follow Elkmont Road all the way til it becomes a loop drive at Jakes Creek Trail Trailhead.

This historical marker is located at the intersection of US Highway 19 at the Blue Ridge Parkway…read morenear Soco Gap. The sign is next to a concrete marker that clearly marks the spot of this "Boundary." The marker reads, "Qualla Boundary. Soco Gap, initial point of U.S. survey, 1876, of Cherokee Reservation, created through earlier efforts of W. H. Thomas, white Cherokee chief." The online essay has a lot more information. "The Qualla Boundary, the official name for the Cherokee Indian Reservation in western North Carolina, was officially surveyed and its present boundaries were established in 1876. The tract owed its creation to the alliance and efforts of the Cherokee people and to William Holland Thomas, the white Cherokee chief. Thomas pruchased lands for the Cherokee people under his name in the 1840s and 1850s, and in 1866 the United States recognized the right of the Cherokee to own and control the lands. Ten years later, the land was surveyed and demarcated as Cherokee land, outside of federal and state government jurisdiction. "Between October 1838 and March 1839 the federal government forcibly removed the Cherokee people from their lands in western North Carolina. About 11,000 Cherokee Indians were relocated in what became known as the Trail of Tears. Some Cherokee remained in North Carolina, however, including many who hid in the Great Smoky Mountains. In addition to those who eluded internment and forced migration, some Cherokee were free to stay because of earlier treaties, including the Oconaluftee Cherokee under Yonaguska. These individuals recruited Thomas to purchase land on their behalf, which he began doing in 1840. "William Holland Thomas owned three stores in Qualla Town and the surrounding areas by the late 1820s. Having worked and lived amongst the Cherokee people from earlier in his life, Thomas had a significant knowledge of the their language, and was a close friend of Yonaguska. He was well respected and trusted by the Cherokee people, eventually serving as their only white chief. After the Trail of Tears, Thomas acted on behalf of the Cherokee and acquired lands focused around the Oconaluftee River and Soco Creek. A large tract of land, consisting of around 50,000 acres, was eventually collected around Oconaluftee Creek, and this constitutes the majority of the Qualla Boundary today. "Thomas also struggled gain official permission for the Oconaluftee Cherokee to remain in North Carolina. In 1866, the Eastern Band of Cherokee were formally granted freedom to live in North Carolina, and were recognized as a separate entity from the Cherokee living in Oklahoma in 1868. In 1874, a board of arbitrators appointed by the federal courts found that Thomas's land purchases had been on behalf of the Cherokee people, and the lands were placed in a trust for the Cherokee tribe. "Because the boundaries of the land were still vague, in 1876 a survey was completed by M. S. Temple, deputy U. S. Surveyor, and the boundaries of the Qualla Boundary were established. The surveying began in Soco Gap, an area that was the most important passageway through the Balsam Mountains for the Cherokee before the arrival of the white man." The intersection is here. There is space to pull over to read the sign and see the marker. It was an interesting experience and of course, it's a reminder of how poorly the American government treated the Native Americans who were here. [Review 1166 of 2024 - 3656 in North Carolina - 22189 overall]

This marker is along the highway and adjacent to a boat ramp area, so there is a spot to pull over…read moreand park while you appreciate the beauty of the Lake Junaluska in the mountains and read the marker. It has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Cataloochee Trail. An old Indian path across mountains used by early settlers and in 1810 by Bishop Asbury. Trail passed nearby." The online essay has more information. "Cataloochee Trail, located in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, served as a pathway for both Native Americans and European settlers over the Appalachian Mountains. The earliest extant mention of the trail appears in 1799, and refers to the Cataloochee as a "turnpike." By that point, the Cherokee had abandoned the region, and Col. Robert Love, a Revolutionary War veteran and land speculator, had purchased the land." This is marker number P-50 and it was erected by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. [Review 1163 of 2024 - 3653 in North Carolina - 22186 overall]

Small set of offices for Tribal Government with some awesome public servants inside.read more

Located along US-23/US-441, this marker points out the Colonial expedition against the local Native…read moreAmericans. The marker reads, "The expedition led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford against the Cherokee, Sept., 1776, passed nearby along Savannah Creek." Online, there is more information. " By 1770 North Carolina's settlements were encroaching on previously designated Indian tribal lands. The Indians in the North Carolina mountains were primarily farmers who raised some livestock, hunted for game, and traded with white men for the most other supplies. Therefore the Native Americans were both threatened by the white men, but dependent on them, as well." "In May 1776 the Cherokee demanded the withdrawal of settlers from the western settlements within twenty days. Knowing that the demand would not be met, the Indians made plans for an attack. By late July the Cherokee had attacked various settlements along the North Carolina frontier, killing thirty-seven inhabitants. Citizens of the backcountry were alarmed." "Griffith Rutherford, brigadier general of the Salisbury District militia, called for volunteers to conduct an expedition against the Cherokee. With militia reporting from several western counties, Rutherford gathered about 2,500 men and enough supplies for forty days afield. From Davidson's Fort (Old Fort) Rutherford and his men set out on September 1, 1776. They headed through the Swanannoa Gap, towards the Cherokee Valley Towns. The Indians, having gotten word of the expedition, abandoned many of their settlements. Rutherford's men burned whatever was left behind." [Review 21134 overall - 3514 in North Carolina - 97 of 2024.]

Just a block from the Historic Swain County Courthouse (now the Heritage museum), this marker…read morepoints out some Civil War history that took place nearby. The marker reads, "Site of Union attack on Thomas's Legion, Feb. 2, 1864. Reduced Cherokee support for Confederacy. One mile northeast." and it is marker Q-8. It was erected in 2010 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Brigadier General Robeert Vance's brief 1864 raid into Gatlinburg collapsed when Union cavalry scattered his force, leaving Colonel William Holland Thomas and his small Cherokee detachment to retreat into North Carolina. Union troops caught Thomas at Deep Creek on February 2, overrunning the camp and capturing thirty-two men, including eighteen Cherokees who later took the Union oath, and in some cases, enlisted in the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry. A second raid soon captured thirty-three more of Thomas's Cherokees, who were courted by Union authorities and likewise switched allegiance. The Deep Creek defeat, combined with hunger, inflation, internal tensions, and continued Union raids, shattered Cherokee support for Thomas and accelerated desertion from the Confederate cause. [Review 528 of 2026 - 4623 in North Carolina - 25710 overall]

98 steps. Not 100. I don't know why they missed this opportunity for a round number but I counted…read morethem going up and coming back down, getting the same. 98 steps. However, you can drive to the top where there is parking. If you do that, you'll miss the Jackson County Confederate Memorial that is midway on the stairs. The Historical Jackson County Courthouse is a 1913 Classical Revival structure that towers on a hill above and at the end of Sylva's main street. It has served here until 1994 when the new Justice Center opened a couple of miles away. It sat unused for several years until it was refreshed and restored, reopening in 2011 as the Jackson County Public Library complex that includes the Jackson County Historical Association, the Genealogical Society, and the Arts Council. Two stories and constructed of painted brick, it has a monumental portico at the front with large classical columns and is topped with a three-stage cupola above the central block. If you've been to Marshall NC, it does look a lot like the Madison County Courthouse. [Review 531 of 2026 - 4626 in North Carolina - 25713 overall]

All those stairs!!!! They just call to be climbed!! It's a 55 ft elevation gain…read more It's very pretty from the bottom and from the top of the stairs. Take a moment to notice the Mountain View's. It's just lovely. Don't want to climb those stairs? Don't worry you can get to the Library and Courthouse by car.

This marker sits just off US-19, right across the river from Bryson City, with a handy parking lot…read moreadjacent that makes it an easy pull-off. It highlights Horace Kephart, the writer, naturalist and librarian whose book "Out Southern Highlands" became one of the defining works about life in the Appalachian Mountains. The marker also notes that a nearby peak, Mount Kephart, was named in his honor. If you're passing through, it's a quick and worthwhile stop. The setting is quiet, the river is right there and the marker gives you a snapshot of a man who helped shape both the literature and the preservation of the Smokies. It is marker number Q-41 and it was erected in 1951 by the Archives Conservation and Highway Departments. [Review 521 of 2026 - 4616 in North Carolina - 25703 overall]