Located in Blount County, Tennessee, Cades Cove Overlook is a scenic viewpoint. It lies in or next to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Maryville, about 21 km (13 mi) away (Cades Cove Overlook lies SE of town).
From the National Park Service
Human history in Cades Cove started long before the 1800s. Humans have been using the land in this area for thousands of years. The earliest artifact collected in the park is a lithic dated to 7000 BCE. Though they may not have built structures in Cades Cove that are present today, the impact of the Cherokee is felt throughout the cove. Many trails created by the Cherokee are still traveled by visitors hiking or driving today. One of these trails is now Rich Mountain Road which connected the cove to the Tuckaleechee area. Many settlers followed in the Cherokees’ footsteps and used this route and others to reach Cades Cove. The Cherokee, like settlers after them, cut logs for structures and fires. They cleared land for agriculture, and they hunted, foraged, and traded or bought what they didn’t grow themselves. In the early 1810-1820s, Sequoyah developed the Cherokee syllabary, a written version of the Cherokee language.
The Cherokee name for Cades Cove is Tsiyahi, “Otter Place.” Otters were found throughout the many creeks and streams in the cove, but they were extirpated from this area in the 1920s, after being hunted and trapped for their valuable pelts. The park reintroduced them in the 1980s and they have made a remarkable comeback. Today they are often seen near Abrams Falls. The name “Abrams” stems from Cherokee Chief Abram or Abraham, known as Ooskuah to the Cherokee. The origin of the name “Cade” also likely came from Cherokee Chief Cade (or Kade) from this area. A “cove” is a flat valley between mountains or ridges.
Most of the Cherokee living in the Southeastern United States were forcibly removed starting with the Indian Removal Act in 1830 which offered territory in Oklahoma in exchange for land in this region. In 1835 the Treaty of New Echota ceded most of the Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi to the federal government. These actions resulted in the “Trail of Tears” in 1938, where 16,000 Cherokee were forced to walk 1,200 miles west. Thousands died in the process. The Eastern Band of the Cherokee who live on the Qualla Boundary adjacent to the park today are the descendants of the few who remained, escaped, or those who returned. A visit to Cherokee, North Carolina offers visitors an opportunity to learn more about Cherokee history and culture.
Typically, when a national park or protected area is created, many spaces that people lived
Text: National Park Service (public domain) — nps.gov.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cades Cove Overlook the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:40 AM | 90° E | 7:47 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:21 AM | 60° ENE | 8:55 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 119° ESE | 5:27 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 45m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Overlooks are about the sweep of the land, so low-angle light matters most: side-light at sunrise or sunset reveals ridges and texture that midday sun flattens.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:17 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:23 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 01m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:44 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 7:22 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:21 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:09 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:37 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 6:03 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 02m |
| June | 5:50 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:58 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:23 PM | 14h 33m |
| July | 6:02 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 20m |
| August | 6:28 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:53 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:52 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:17 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:17 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 PM | 9h 46m |
Local time (America/New York), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Cades Cove Overlook, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:23 AM – 5:53 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:28 AM – 6:18 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:28 AM – 5:28 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:33 AM – 4:43 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:41 PM – 4:31 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:36 PM – 3:06 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:59 PM – 12:59 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 9:10 PM – 11:00 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:26 PM – 8:56 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.41 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (65%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 68 | 71 | 81 | 80 | 87 | 101 | 99 | 97 | 95 | 92 | 81 | 72 |
| Low °F | -3 | -1 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 42 | 48 | 47 | 36 | 23 | 12 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.4 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 5.3 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this scenic viewpoint
- Use a telephoto (70–200 mm) to isolate layered ridges and light rays instead of shooting only wide.
- Check the sun azimuth for your date: front-light, side-light and back-light give three different pictures from the same rail.
- Haze builds in summer afternoons; mornings after a cold front are often the clearest.
- Stay behind barriers — many overlook edges are undercut or crumbly.
- A panorama of 3–5 vertical frames gives more resolution and a wider view without a fisheye look.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Clear, dry air in autumn and after winter storms gives the longest views; summer adds wildflowers but also haze.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Telephoto lens, Graduated ND filter, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Cades Cove Overlook, closest first.
Waterfall
Cave
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
Ghost TownWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Cades Cove Campground5.1 km (3.2 mi) · reservable
- Cades Cove Group5.6 km (3.5 mi) · reservable
- Anthony Creek Horse Camp6.0 km (3.7 mi) · reservable
- Abram'S Creek Campground9.1 km (5.6 mi) · reservable
- Look Rock Campground10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
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Sources
Location data: National Park Service. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.