After more than a two week closure for repaving the ever-popular and historic Cades Cove Loop in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was reopened to the public this past week! I’m sure the wildlife enjoyed the break in people but many of us who love the Cove are glad to have access back. We had a blast taking in the wild bears and the Pearl Harbor Tree.

This weekend we chose to spend both Friday night and Saturday afternoon visiting Cades Cove. Friday was absolutely amazing with minimal people which meant we could focus more on the scenery and wildlife. It also didn’t take long to find the “treasure” of the cove with a bear sighting. Less than a quarter of the way around the loop we found a momma bear with her 3 cubs playing in a field and enjoying the cool evening. They weren’t worried about the people or cars so we got to observe them and take pictures for quite a while. What made things even better was the respect shown to them by the people in the park. Everyone kept their distance and enjoyed the park as it should be!

After seeing the bears for a while we continued on throughout the loop taking in the changing colors of the leaves and the sunset as it went down beyond the mountains. Later as darkness set in we were treated again with the bears playing in a tree by the roadway. Momma even blocked the road so her cubs could play back and forth across the road which gave us excellent entertainment from the confines of our car!

DAY 2

Our second trip to the cove was quite a bit more crowded that the first but still extremely enjoyable with yet another appearance by momma bear and her 3 cubs. This time they were all playing in a tree for a LONG time. We didn’t stop this time due to the amount of people the park volunteers were having to deal with but we did manage to catch momma climbing down the tree on the GoPro as we passed! We left this crowd to enjoy the bears as we continued on to find our main location in the cove……..the Pearl Harbor Memorial Tree.

The Pearl Harbor Tree, a sweet gum sapling, was placed in the front of his home by Golman Myers on December 7, 1941 after the United States was attacked by Japan. When he transplanted the tree he placed on old automobile rim around the tree and said “We will remember this forever.” The homestead is now long gone and Mr. Golman has long since passed but his tree still stands today. The rim has split from the tree growth and in the mid 1970s Mr. Golman’s son added the tag on a chain to the tree.

Getting to the tree can be quite tricky today as there are no established trails and no parking at the site. The tree sites upon a wooded hill in the cove and is now surrounded by many other trees and brush. The closest parking is approximately 3.6 miles from the entrance on the left side of the road. The GPS coordinates for the Pearl Harbor Memorial Tree are 35°36’17.7″ N, 83°50’06.7″ W. As with all exploration please ensure to leave no trace. Take pictures and memories but don’t impact the environment so future generations can enjoy the history we have!

Cades Cove also offers many great hikes along with a large campground to use as a base for exploration. You could spent a week in the cove and still feel like you haven’t done everything. Take a look at our camping weekend in the cove along with a couple hikes we did. Until next time…..