Cataloochee Valley Overlook — Attraction in Waynesville

I'm posting something terribly obvious to most people but hopefully it helps- the valley comes after the left hand turn off of the narrow (in some places, one lane) gravel road. I had to double back because I didn't realize that the valley was so far away from the gate. The gravel road is at least 7 miles long.

If you go in the early morning and are afraid of running into someone going the opposite direction, just roll down your window so you can hear the approaching cars. You can also see headlights through the trees and the forest on some of the tighter turns.

I wouldn't recommend driving a low riding car, or a car that needs a brake replacement. You will be braking alot.

A few other people mentioned the potholes- there are a few but it's possible to avoid them. You'll be driving about 15 mph, so you'll be able to maneuver out of the way.

The gravel is one lane in most areas. You will need a friend who has decent eyesight to drive and someone who is comfortable driving mountain roads.

I was able to make it up before sunrise (about 7 am) this past week and I would recommend driving to the valley as early as possible.

I watched 40 + elk in the fields...

Went during the afternoon, so the only animals we saw were a few turkeys...too early in the day for elk. We tried the trip to see if it would be feasible to do the trip later in the summer with a 15-passenger van. Because of the road conditions we decided against it. 3 miles of the road was unpaved and had some massive potholes, not to mention it was barely wide enough for two cars to pass. There were places to pull over, but many were on the edge of a cliff that looked straight down for 100 feet or more, and not big enough for a 15-passenger van to pull over. Would love for my grand-kids to be able to see the elk fairly close up, but definitely not with a 15-passenger van. The trip isn't that far, mileage - wise, but time -wise took a long time because of the condition...

God's country. Beautiful place but the road is insanely terrible! Blind side curves. Dirt/ gravel road. Road so narrow in most cases only one vehicle can go through,... And it's not just a short distance.. It is 10 miles!!!!!! Seriously needs some gov't funding to get this beautiful park some road loving!! After driving 10 miles on the road of misery.. You come to a beautiful kept cut fields of grass for wild Elk and bear. We seem 1 Elk. But apparently we weren't there the right time of day. Also the houses, barn, churches, schools, etc of these people. Doors are removed from the buildings, I suppose they are open 365 days a year. Also seen camp grounds with camper trailers there. One last thing... There is NO Cell service....