Crooked Arm Ridge Trail

Crooked Arm Ridge is a steep, wooded out-and-back from its junction with Rich Mountain Loop to the Scott Mountain and Indian Grave Gap junction. The mapped named trail is about 2.1 miles each way, or 4.3 miles retraced, with roughly 1,400 feet of climbing; allow about 3.5 to 4 hours on the trail. The entrance-side parking lot is separate from the mapped start: one route description puts the approach near half a mile, but its mile markers conflict with its published 2.2-mile distance. The 4.3-mile figure here covers the named ridge trail and excludes that access walk.

The lower trail follows Crooked Arm Branch over rough rock and exposed roots, with two rock-hop stream crossings. Beyond the ravine, a steeper stretch of switchbacks carries you onto the ridge. Wet leaves can hide uneven footing and become slick, so take care when the ground is covered.

The climb eases along the ridge, though trees partly screen the Cades Cove fields. Around 1.75 miles into the mapped route, a left-side opening gives the clearest view described on the trail. It is a framed hillside view rather than an open summit; branches in the foreground help show how high the viewpoint sits above the Cove.

Close to the Scott Mountain and Indian Grave Gap junction, a short fork offers two different looks before the paths rejoin. The upper, right-hand option has a view into Laurel Creek drainage that opens up more in fall and winter. The lower, left-hand line descends beside rhododendron. Turn around at the junction for this standalone hike; continuing onto the connected trails makes a different, longer outing.

Cades Cove has been a hunting ground for Cherokee people for centuries. European settlers arrived around 1818 to 1821, and the valley had 271 residents by 1830. The ridge gives you a view over this historic, mountain-ringed landscape, though no specific historical event is tied to the trail itself.

The closest mapped parking is the entrance-side lot near milepost 0.517. From there, cross the road and follow the roadside path and field edge toward the signed Crooked Arm Ridge junction; the access approach is described as roughly half a mile, but its distance is unsettled, so expect additional walking beyond the mapped trail length. A parking tag is required if you leave a vehicle in the park for more than 15 minutes. Cades Cove Loop Road is typically closed to vehicles on Wednesdays from May through September. There is no confirmed food or water at the trailhead; restrooms at the Cades Cove Visitor Center are a separate stop farther around the loop.