Parking
Start at the Anthony Creek Trailhead beside Cades Cove Picnic Area. Park in the picnic-area lot and walk from the far end of the picnic grounds to the trail.
Overview
About Spence Field and Russell Field Loop
Why go
- Two high clearings and wide North Carolina views reward the long climb.
- Links Anthony Creek, Russell Field, the Appalachian Trail and Bote Mountain in one outing.
Heads up
- The 13.2-mile route has a steep climb and about 3,200 feet of ascent.
- The lower Anthony Creek stretch is retraced, and horses use the trails.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Smoky Mountains map
Full mapElevation2,077–5,003 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active Great Smoky Mountains alerts
- ClosureHurricane Helene backcountry trail closures and hazardsHurricane Helene damage has closed backcountry trails and left hazardous crossings; avoid closed routes and heed trail-specific restrictions.Official details
- CautionBear-related trail, road, shelter, and campsite restrictionsBear activity has closed trails, a shelter, and campsites and restricted pedestrian access on Cherokee Orchard Road; follow the vehicle restrictions and avoid closed areas.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide
Your drive to Spence Field and Russell Field Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Great Smoky Mountains audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Cades Cove Picnic Area0:00 / 0:28
“Ahead is Cades Cove Picnic Area, at the entrance to the one-way loop road. I'd use it for a lunch break under the trees, with tables between Abrams Creek and Green Branch Creek.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cades Cove Campground Store and Riding Stables
- Rich Mountain Loop Trailhead
- John Oliver Cabin
- Lead Cove and Finley Cane Trailheads
- 188 audio storiesacross Great Smoky Mountains’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Elk, Bald Eagle, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 197 trails, 100 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Spence Field and Russell Field Loop
The long loopThis 13.
This 13.2-mile loop starts at Cades Cove Picnic Area, climbs by Anthony Creek and Russell Field Trail to Russell Field, follows the Appalachian Trail across Spence Field, then returns on Bote Mountain Trail and Anthony Creek. You retrace the same lower Anthony Creek stretch on the way back. Allow about eight hours and expect roughly 3,200 feet of climbing. The steep, sustained climb toward Russell Field is the main test; the high meadows and broad North Carolina views are the payoff.
Climbing to Russell FieldFollow Anthony Creek beside Abrams Creek from the picnic area.
Follow Anthony Creek beside Abrams Creek from the picnic area. Crib Gap Trail branches off at about 0.3 mile, with Anthony Creek Horse Camp farther along. At roughly 1.7 miles, turn right onto Russell Field Trail. It climbs steeply toward the ridge, then levels for a traverse along Leadbetter Ridge. Near mile 4.75, short side paths reach the small remaining meadow at Russell Field. Russell Field Shelter stands near the Appalachian Trail junction at about mile 5.2.
Across Spence FieldTurn left on the Appalachian Trail and continue about three miles through several small grassy…
Turn left on the Appalachian Trail and continue about three miles through several small grassy openings. Spence Field opens to wide views toward the North Carolina Smokies when the air is clear. At the Bote Mountain junction, continue about 100 yards along the AT to the picnic and view spot, then retrace to the junction. In late spring and early summer, mountain laurel flowers around the high fields; when it is blooming, frame the trail with the open meadow and ridge beyond.
Back by Bote MountainTake Bote Mountain Trail downhill. Rhododendron forms a long tunnel along this descent.
Take Bote Mountain Trail downhill. Rhododendron forms a long tunnel along this descent. At about mile 9.8, turn left onto Anthony Creek Trail and follow it roughly 3.5 miles back to the picnic area. The long creek-side return includes the lower section you walked at the start. Horses also use the route.
Fields made by peopleSpence and Russell fields are historic clearings made for sheep and cattle grazing, not…
Spence and Russell fields are historic clearings made for sheep and cattle grazing, not naturally open balds. James Spence built a cabin in the Spence Field area in 1830. A small opening remains at Russell Field while forest has reclaimed much of the old clearing.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Great Smoky Mountains
1,566 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
899 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
13 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
142 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
26 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
42 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Smoky Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
