Curry Mountain Trail

Curry Mountain Trail climbs from Little River Road to the Meigs Mountain Trail junction, then returns the same way. The mapped corridor is about 3.32 miles each way, or 6.65 miles round trip, with roughly 1,160 feet of climbing. Allow around four hours. This is a good pick for a longer forest walk near Metcalf Bottoms; the reward is a handful of mountain views and a short cemetery detour, not a wide-open summit. The climb is front-loaded, so the opening stretch feels tougher than the middle.

The native-surface path gains more than 500 feet in its first 0.8 mile. For about half a mile it runs above and roughly parallel to Little River Road; the river often covers some of the road noise. The grade eases near the 0.8-mile mark. In leaf-off months, gaps along this stretch look toward Wears Valley and nearby ridges; summer leaves hide many of those views.

Near mile 2.5, the trail makes a sharp right turn. Look east, to your left as you climb, through a couple of openings toward Sugarland Mountain and Mount Le Conte. They are brief looks through the trees rather than a long panorama, which is why this trail suits someone who enjoys the walk itself as much as a big destination view.

At about 3.3 miles, Curry Mountain Trail reaches the Meigs Mountain Trail junction. The Meigs Mountain Cemetery is a short optional detour to the right along Meigs Mountain Trail; it is not part of the Curry route mapped here. Longer walks toward Elkmont, the Sinks or Tremont continue on other trails and need their own distance and transportation plan.

Use Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area for parking, then follow the signed access to the Curry Mountain trailhead on Little River Road. The picnic area has restrooms, tables and a pavilion; those facilities are at the access point, not along the trail. A parking tag is required if you leave a vehicle in the park for more than 15 minutes. Dogs are not allowed on this trail.