10. Metcalf Bottoms Trail & Little Brier Gap Trail

Metcalf Bottoms Trail and Little Brier Gap Trail

These two conjoined trails have it all. Located in the heart of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it is an easy hike, has beautiful surroundings, historical buildings, a picnic area, a river, foot bridges, and restrooms to boot. What’s not to love?

Marc’s Take: Ann and I have visited Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area many times, and hiked to Little Greenbrier School on one occasion. As a history buff, I loved it. It is an easy hike and it is beautiful, especially in the fall.

Once you reach the Little Greenbrier School, you have the option of taking Little Brier Gap Trail to the Walker Sisters’ Spring House. The Walker Sisters were the last family to live in the park, and this was their home and land for many decades. More on this later.

Getting to Metcalf Bottoms Trail

Metcalf Bottoms Trail is a easy hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, leading to the historic Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse.

It’s about 1.4 miles round-trip with minimal elevation gain, making it family-friendly and suitable for most hikers.

Dogs are not permitted on this trail.

The trailhead is located at the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area, which can get busy, especially around lunchtime, so arrive early to secure parking.

Some websites refer to this picnic area as “Wear Cove Picnic Area.” This is not accurate. The name of the road is Wear Cove Gap Road, but the picnic area is named Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area.

Directions from Gatlinburg, TN

• Start in downtown Gatlinburg and head south on US-441 (Parkway) into Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• After about 2 miles, you’ll reach the Sugarlands Visitor Center on your right.
• Just past the visitor center, turn right onto Little River Gorge Road (also known as Fighting Creek Gap Road).
• Drive approximately 9.5 miles west along this winding road, following the Little River. You’ll pass the Elkmont area and Laurel Falls trailhead along the way.
• Look for the sign for Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area on your right. Turn right into the picnic area (no street address, but it’s clearly marked).
• Park in the main lot next to the picnic area or the smaller lot across the wooden vehicle bridge if available.

Directions from Townsend, TN

• From downtown Townsend, head east on US-321 (Lamar Alexander Parkway) toward the park entrance.
• Enter the national park and continue to the “Y” intersection (about 0.5 miles in).
• At the Y, turn left onto Little River Gorge Road toward Gatlinburg (the right fork goes to Cades Cove).
• Drive approximately 7.7 miles east along the road, passing through scenic forested areas and following the river.
• The Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area will be on your left, look for the sign and turn left into the area.

Directions from Wears Valley

• From Wears Valley Road, turn onto Line Springs Road and drive approximately 2.7 miles to the small bridge. Note: Once you cross the park boundary, the name changes to Wear Cove Gap Road. Some mapping software calls it Little Greenbrier Road.
• Cross over the bridge and parking for Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area will be on your left and right.

Road conditions are generally good, but be prepared for curves and potential wildlife crossings.

Cell service is basically non-existent in the park unless you are on the boundary, so download maps in advance.

If you’re coming from further away, GPS apps like Google Maps can route you to “Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area” in the park for real-time navigation.

Enjoy the hike and the glimpse into Smoky Mountain history!

Metcalf Bottoms Trail Parking and Restrooms

Once you arrive at the picnic area, park in any of the available parking spots.

Make sure you purchase a parking tag from the kiosk located near the restroom if you don’t have one already.

If you park for more than 15 minutes, you must have a parking tag.

Parking tag options include:

• Daily tag: $5.00
• Weekly tag: $15.00
• Annual tag: $40.00

NOTE: The annual option is not available at the kiosk, it must be purchased online or at the Smokies Life location in Townsend or one of the park’s visitor centers.

Restrooms are located at the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area and they are well maintained by park staff.

Although you may want to bring some toilet paper just in case.

Metcalf Bottoms Trail Description

Once parked, walk across the wooden bridge over the Little River. On the other side, turn right onto the gravel road (closed to vehicles).

This marks the beginning of the Metcalf Bottoms Trail, which gently ascends through the forest to the schoolhouse.

The path is well-maintained but can be muddy after rain, so wear appropriate footwear.

The Metcalf Bottoms Trail surface is a typical mountain trail, packed dirt with occasional roots and rocks.

The hike to the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse is a short one, at just over half a mile.

Depending on how fast you walk, you can reach it in 15 or 20 minutes. We used every minute, maybe a few more.

We thought about classifying this trail as “moderate”, but we decided against it.

While the trail begins rather easily, a section just before the schoolhouse requires a bit more effort.

Anyone not use to physical activity may need to stop two or three times to catch their breath.

This trail is only half a mile, but it does have a bit of a rise in elevation over a short distance.

Hikers cross the stream three times on their way to the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse.

The footbridges are in good condition and provide a bit of fun.

I don’t know why, but walking on a log footbridge is always fun for me; as long as it is close to the ground.

These are close to the ground and are easy to cross.

Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse

John Walker

Local residents Gilbert Abbott, Ephraim Ogle, John Walker, and many others built the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse in 1882.

Mr. Abbott donated the land and Ogle donated the lumber. The community pitched in and provided the labor.

Classes began meeting in the Fall of 1882 and ended in 1936 when the National Park Service took possession of the land.

The National Register of Historic Places added the building to their list in 1976.

Primitive Baptist Church also met in the schoolhouse and created the cemetery on the opposite side of the trail.

Visitors to the schoolhouse are free to enter the building and look around.

Unfortunately, hundreds of people have vandalized the walls and desks by writing or carving on them.

Defacing the buildings and/or their contents is a crime.

If you are caught, you could receive a fine, imprisonment, or both. Please don’t add to the graffiti and risk prosecution.

Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse is a great example of the type of building used at the time.

When you enter, you can just imagine what it was like full of mountain children.

Little Brier Gap Trail Trailhead

Basically, Little Brier Gap Trail is a continuation of the Metcalf Bottoms trail.

The Little Brier Gap Trailhead is located where the Metcalf Bottoms Trail terminates, at the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse.

There are two ways to reach the trailhead:

1. Hike the Metcalf Bottoms Trail to the schoolhouse and then continue on to Little Brier Gap Trail or
2. Drive to the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse on Wear Cove Gap Road. We do not recommend this option for the reasons below.

IMPORTANT: If you choose to drive to the schoolhouse instead of hiking, please take note. A narrow gravel road leads to the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse from Wear Cove Gap Road. The lane is only wide enough for one car. When two cars traveling in opposite directions approach, one will have back up. Since the road is a half mile, this can be a problem.

Little Brier Gap Trail Description

The Little Brier Gap Trail begins at the schoolhouse and ends 1.4 miles later at the junction of Little Greenbrier Trail.

The hike should take approximately 35 minutes each way.

Of course, that does not take into consideration that you will want to stop and see the Walker Sisters’ Place.

The side trail to the Walker sisters’ cabin is located approximately .9 miles from the schoolhouse.

Little Brier Gap Trail Background

The Little Brier Gap Trail has tremendous historical significance for Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

When the precursor to the National Park Service began purchasing land for the park, many of the private landowners objected.

For nearly a hundred years, families bought land, cleared it, farmed it, and brought up their children in these mountains.

This was their home. John and Margaret Walker, along with their eleven children (seven girls and four boys) was one such family.

Walker Sisters | 1909

In 1921, five of the Walker sisters inherited the family’s 123 acres of mountain farmland.

Eighteen years later, when the Great Smoky Mountains Park Commission approached them with an “offer” for their land, the sisters rejected it.

The sisters wanted to remain on their homestead and live out their lives.

The commission wisely acquiesced in order to avoid a public relations nightmare.

The following year, in 1940, facing a condemnation lawsuit (eminent domain), the Walker sisters gave up their fight and came to an agreement with the National Park Service.

They accepted the $4,750 offer with the understanding that they could live out their lives on the land.

In January 1941, the National Park Service finally took ownership of the land, and then took control of it after the last Walker sister died in 1964.

The Walker sisters were the last private residents to live inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The National Park Service restored the Walker sisters’ home in 1976 and eventually listed it on the National Register of Historic Places.

The sisters’ springhouse and corn crib are also listed and can be seen on the property today.

Nearby Points of Interest

Elkmont, one the most fascinating places in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is just down the road.

Elkmont is a former logging community converted into a vacation retreat for the elite of Knoxville and the surrounding area.

Today, Elkmont is in flux as the National Park Service and historical preservationists decide what to do with the remaining buildings, some of which vandals burned.