Cades Cove Ranger Station — Local services in Maryville

The Rangers at Cades Cove are excellent and dedicated to making sure campers and sightseers are respecting the park. They check on the campgrounds at least twice daily (maybe more) and are available to assist and answer questions. They give lectures with hands on demonstrations of the wildlife pelts known to exist in the park. They go above and beyond their duties, and will help with any problem that may arise. I have a particular shout out to them for resolving a bad situation I got myself into. I bring a small motorcycle for the beautiful ride around the loop road. I had just returned from a three hour exploration of the loop road and all of the attractions of early 19th century settlement houses and churches on my motorcycle. I was leaving the next morning and went to put my motorcycle on the carrier ramp I have on the back of my travel trailer. I have a ten foot long inclination ramp to facilitate this process. I use the engine to power the bike up to position as I walk along side. As I was reaching the top of the ramp, I lost control of the bike and it started to come down toward me. The bike weighs about 400 pounds and I knew I had to get out of the way. I flung my entire body away from the trailer and landed face down prone on the ground, with the bike landing mere inches from me with a loud thud. I reached over and turned off the engine, then struggled to get myself up off the ground. The bike was leaking gas from the tank, so I picked it up and put it on the kickstand. In doing so, I pulled a muscle in my lower back and was in immediate agony. I managed to position the bike for another attempt then left it as I limped back into my trailer to try to figure out what I was going to do to get my bike home. The next morning, I approached a ranger patrolling the campground and told him of my dilemma. I expected to hear something like they don't assist with problems such as this and I was wondering if I could find a couple of big guy campers nearby and coax them into assistence. To my pleasant surprise, the Ranger said there were a couple of big Rangers that could help and he would send them my way. In fifteen minutes the two rangers arrived, very large men, assessed the situation, and rolled the bike up on to the ramp like it was a toy. They insisted on standing by to help me secure the bike for travel and made sure I was okay to make the drive back to Knoxville. I hurt everywhere from my fall and scramble to get the bike up, but I assured them I could tow the trailer out.

I unfortunately did not get the names of these two men, but I will be eternally appreciative of their help and concern. I could have easily been hurt worse with broken bones or even crushed by the 400 pounds of motorcycle landing on me, but I was fortunate to escape that through pure luck. The rangers asked if I needed medical or any further assistence, and I assusred them I was capable of getting myself on the road.

I have since acquired a new system for loading and unloading that involves me having to do nothing more than locking the front wheel into the device and pushing a button to have it move the motorcycle into position either on the ramp or the ground.

While giving very informative demonstrations and lectures on the wildlife in the area, they assist with lost kids, barking dogs, directions, heart attacks and any other problem that may present itself. The ladies and gentlemen of the Ranger service are dedicated to protecting the park and making the experience of the park enjoyable for the patrons. To me, they are worth their weight in gold.

It isn't much, but to all of the Rangers and particularly the two that assisted me, thank you. I can't wait to get back and go...

The scenery on the way to Cades Cove is just amazing. The wandering creeks and road slows you down and gets you ready for a great camping experience. The campground is divided into several sections - group, rv and tents but no generators, and rv and tents with generators - there are quiet times with generators. There is only one dump station for the campground. It is a great place for children to play safely and easily monitored by parents. I would suggest getting up early to tour the Cove because it does get very busy. Wednesday's are reserved for cyclists only, so you may want to plan accordingly. The staff and rangers are very gracious and willing to help with questions, directions, travel or safety. It is definitely worth revisiting...

Bob and Kathy the volunteer rangers went out of their way to help my husband and I when our 73 Corvette broke down on the loop and we had no cell phone service. They transported me to the ranger station where they let me use the landline phone to call for help. They then went back to check on my husband and let him know help was on the way. I don’t know what we would have done without them. ...