Some years ago, we made our first trip to Cades Cove. We have made many trips since, and have seen the valley in every season. Cades Cove is the most visited site in the Smoky Mountains National Park. You can tell by the number of cars on the one-way lane in the middle of the day. Even so, it’s well worth visiting.

Of course, everyone wants to see the bears. One time we saw a bear even before we got to the cove. Several cars were pulled off the two-lane road that leads to the valley. In the Smokies, that is a sure sign an animal has been sighted and being curious, my husband pulled off, too.

There was a man walking down into a ravine with his camera at ready. We soon saw why. At the bottom of the slope a fully-grown black bear was foraging for food. Several of the spectators were trying to warn the photographer back. Suddenly, the bear charged and the tourist made a mad dash for a nearby tree. It was probably the fastest he had ever climbed! Still, it wasn’t a big tree and Mister Bear knew how to give it a good shake. My husband, Dan, and the other bystanders started shouting and waving hats and anything else they had. The bear soon had enough and dashed up the other slope and into the woods.

The best encounter we ever had with a bear in the park was on a drizzly Thanksgiving Day after the kids had grown up. Dan and I did the driving tour and stopped to walk the trail to the John Oliver cabin. After starting up the path, we noticed a large bear meandering up ahead of us. We slowed and kept our distance. He had no fear of us puny people. The bear finally ducked into the woods somewhere near the Oliver cabin and we finished our hike.

Our daughter loved the deer and at times they would walk over to the fence and check her out as she offered them choice grasses she had pulled. The deer also have little fear in the cove. We learned quickly that you see more deer and other animals in the early part of the day and near sunset.

Lots of times we’d take the shortcut roads, Hyatt or Sparks Lane, which cut across the valley. There we would see deer grazing in the shade of the trees near the streams. Sometimes we’d see pretty good-sized concentrations of deer and other times we’d see only a few.

Other creatures we observed were woodchucks, raccoons (that’s another story!), and squirrels. We also heard coyotes, but didn’t see any. Plenty of birds pass through or reside in the cove: turkeys, hawks, buzzards, eagles, crows, and various songbirds.

Sadly, we never saw elk. They were entirely gone from the cove in 2001 due to over-hunting in the past, but they were introduced later by TWRS and have been sighted in recent years, especially in the Cataloochee Valley. We did hear their bugling once on a later trip. Another animal we never saw was the red wolf. This is an animal that used to roam in the area, but they were hunted and trapped to near extinction. Like most wolves, they are controversial. It is believed by some scientists that the red wolf is a cross between coyotes and wolves that happened in the distant past. When they were re-introduced in the cove in the late 90s that became one problem to their survival in the wild. Coyotes had returned to the area and were again cross-breeding. The few wild wolves couldn’t compete and finally the remaining individuals were re-captured and taken to special habitats. You have to go to the Knoxville Zoo to see red wolves. Despite that, Cades Cove is an excellent place to take your family for the day. During the warmer months of the year, the loop is open from sunrise for a couple of hours to bike or foot traffic only.

Susan Kite, a member of Author’s Guild of Tennessee, is the author of five books for young adults; historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. Check out her site at http://www.bookscape.net/author/main.htm where you can find general and ordering information.