Historic Elkmont Tour

Lost Town of the Smokies

• Scenic Drive: Enjoy Wears Valley, Cove Mountain and the Elkmont Ghost Town from an iconic, heated Pink Jeep®
• The Wild East: Hear stories of rebellious mountaineers, early logging communities and runaway trains
• Metcalf Bottoms: Enchanted scenery, babbling brooks and the self-sufficient Walker Sisters
• Daisy Town: Tour the newly restored, historic Daisy Town cabins and Appalachian Clubhouse
• Guided and Narrated: Learn about the family clans who settled the Smokies (and still live here!)
• Flora and Fauna: Experience the Smoky Mountains dense forest, diverse ecosystems and wildlife
• Epic Views: 2 stops, including the Gatlinburg Scenic Overlook for view of Mt. LeConte
• 4x4 Adventure: End your tour with a thrilling off-road adventure on private land

Tour Details

Before the Wild West, came the Wild East of the First American frontier—Appalachia and the Great Smoky Mountains. This tour journeys back two centuries to the deep hollows, mountain folk and original homesteads of Historic Elkmont.

Enjoy a scenic drive through Wears Valley, up Cove Mountain past the enchanting views of Metcalf Bottoms, to the Elkmont Historic District. Take a guided interpretive walk through the newly renovated cabins at Daisy Town. Visit the Appalachian Club and site of the Wonderland Hotel. See Mt. LeConte from the Gatlinburg Scenic Overlook.

This tour is perfect for history buffs! Walk in the footsteps of the first pioneers who settled the Smokies and built the town that gave rise to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As you travel along Wears Valley Road, your local certified adventure guide will share the history of the Great Indian Warpath and Samuel Wear.”

You’ll climb Cove Mountain to Metcalf Bottoms, where the self-sufficient Walker Sisters were among the last holdouts living in the national park. Winding along Little River Gorge Road in a custom, heated Jeep® Wrangler, hear the story of Colonel Townsend, who snapped up the homesteaders' land and introduced the mountain folk to a whole ‘nother world…logging timber. In 1901, he launched the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company and industrialism hit the hollers like a runaway train. Elkmont logging camps evolved, pioneers flourished, and hunting clubs sprang up and became vacation resorts for early travelers.

Your guide will lead an interpretive walk through the Elkmont Historic District. Tour the newly restored cabins at Daisy Town, home to the private Appalachian Clubhouse where Smoky Mountain tourism and the national park idea were born. Visit the site of the Wonderland Hotel and hear of its evolution from a public hotel to a private club and back.

During this tour, you’ll meet a variety of characters and family clans along the way…the Wears, Townsends, Walkers, Ownbys, Trenthams and more. Levi Trentham, an early pioneer turned hunting guide and “Prophet of the Smokies.” Ann and Willie Davis, the First Family of GSMNP, who championed the cause to create the Park. And legendary wilderness guide, Wiley Oakley, “the Roamin’ Man of the Mountains” born at the base of Mt. LeConte.

A stop at the Gatlinburg Scenic Overlook offers time to reflect on your journey through centuries past and the abandoned “Lost Town of the Smokies,” while snapping photos of the rolling hills and Mt. LeConte behind the town of Gatlinburg.

Your tour ends with a hand-gripping, 4x4 off-road adventure on our private Bear Track course. It's an experience unlike any other in the Great Smoky Mountains!
 

Know Before You Go

• Children under 2 are not permitted on this tour
• Tour stops include walking on rocky, uneven terrain
• Guests with limited mobility can choose to stay in the vehicle at stops
• Pregnant guests cannot take the 4x4 portion of tour; can wait at a covered pavilion.
  
  

VIDEO & PHOTO GALLERY