Townsend Wye

Just inside the Townsend entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National park is the Townsend Wye, a popular swimming and tubing destination. It is located where Little River Road and Lamar Alexander Parkway intersect, forming a Y. The Townsend Wye is the confluence of Little River and Laurel Creek.

Popular Swimming Area

In the Summer, it’s one of the most popular swimming areas in the national park. It is easy to get to the shoreline from the parking area on several paths that lead down to Little River. Between the ease of getting to the water, the shallow water, decent sized parking area and convenient location the Wye gets lots of visitors even during its off season.

In the winter and spring the water is a little choppier, while it is fairly gentle in the summertime, making it a great place for the kids to go tubing. In the slower months the parking lot has lots of empty spaces and isn’t crazy busy. There’s plenty of room to explore the area and enjoy the beauty that nature provides.

February is Less Busy

Our family prefers a slower pace, so we visited in February on a cloudy afternoon with temperatures in the 70’s on our way to Cades Cove. The parking lot was less than half full. We walked from the parking area down to the edge of the water, walking alongside. While there were people there, they stayed mostly in their little groups. This kept the noise level low so you could enjoy just listening to the running water. There are plenty of places you can eat a picnic lunch and go wading in the water, making the Wye a great side trip just before heading into Cades Cove.

Our family enjoyed walking around the Wye. It was a pretty day and a great place to take photos, although it was a little challenging to avoid having others in the background. It is the perfect spot to stretch your legs before heading into Cades Cove.

If you, or your kids, like to feed ducks you can typically find them hanging around the Wye waiting for a snack.

Rules for Dogs

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has specific rules about dogs in their park. Dogs are allowed in campgrounds, picnic areas, and along roads. However, they must be kept on a leash at all times. I’m not sure if they would be allowed at the Wye or not, but I think that they would be allowed since it is not on a trail and could be considered along the roadside. The leash rule would still apply.

Parking

Although there is plenty of parking, you need to get there early in the summer and fall as the parking fills up quickly. There’s also a parking pass machine at the end of the parking area. License plate number is required for the parking pass so make sure you know it when you go to the machine. Parking passes are required to park in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for longer than 15 minutes (which includes the Wye).

Restroom Facilities

Please note that there are no restroom facilities at the Wye so plan accordingly. I have seen some people bring pop up changing tents for when they want to go in the water and change afterward. If you just need to use a restroom, there’s one in the middle of Cades Cove.

Nearby Waterfalls

While in the area, in addition to Cades Cove, we also checked out three roadside waterfalls on the same road – Cane Creek Twin Falls, Whiteoak Flats Branch Falls, and Meadow Branch Cascades. While none of these are really worth a special trip I do recommend checking them out since they are really close. These waterfalls are best viewed in the winter and spring months or right after a good rain.

One of the main attractions in Cades Cove is Abrams Falls. This moderate trail is 5 miles round trip. It has an elevation gain of 340 feet. It typically takes 3 to 4 hours to hike. We were unable to visit it on this trip since we would be unable to complete the trail before the cove closed at sunset.