Complete Guide To The Townsend Historical Trail – Bike Or Walk This Scenic Path In The Smokies With The Whole Family

Looking for some bonding time with the family in the great outdoors but you can’t be bothered to fight the crowds in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Try the Townsend Historical Trail, a mostly flat and paved 10 mile hiking and biking trail just outside the park boundaries.

Often just called the Townsend Bike Path, the Historical Trail extends along both sides of the main road that runs through Townsend, TN. This small town bills itself as the “Peaceful Side of the Smokies.” (As opposed to the Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg side of the Smokies, which are definitely fun, but peaceful is not how I would describe them :).)

I like the quieter nature of Townsend and not just because my family has had cabins in the area for decades. It is just big enough to have good restaurants and places to see but not so big that you can’t find a peaceful moment with the mountains (hence the nickname – they chose well.)

Townsend is a great place to spend the day and walking or biking the Historical Trail is one of the best things to do in Townsend.

6 Things That Make The Townsend Historical Trail Great

1) There Are Sights To See Along The Trail.

Besides the scattered historical markers telling you tidbits about Townsend’s history, you will also find steam engines at the Little River Railroad Museum, a super fun swinging bridge, a picturesque covered bridge, a museum about the Smokies, a mini- arboretum at the Townsend River Walk, and the Townsend Visitor Center. You could easily spend a day if you stop to explore everything.

More on these sights in “Sights To See Along The Trail” below.

2) Mountains Views From The Bike Trail.

The Townsend Historical Trail has some lovely views of the Tuckaleechee Valley in which Townsend is located. Also, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is just beyond Townsend, as in literally, the town ends at the park boundary. Tuckaleechee means “peaceful valley” in Cherokee so again, you can see how Townsend got its nickname of “Peaceful Side Of The Smokies.”

3) The Townsend Historical Trail is Fairly Easy Biking For The Whole Family.

The Townsend bike path is easy enough for the whole family, even kids on training wheels. It is mostly pretty flat with just a few short hills that you might find yourself actually cranking on the pedals for a minute. You do need to look out for occasional driveways or side roads that cross the trail.

You can bike the whole 10 miles (5 miles on one side and then 5 miles back on the other) or you can do a shorter loop by taking one of the tunnels under the highway. Or you can go out and back as long as you want. Whatever works for your family.

* The 10 miles is based off of my Garmin GPS watch. You will find some other guides that say 9 miles (4.5 on each side) but I think my mileage is more accurate.

4) The Trail Is Dog Friendly.

You can walk the Townsend Bike Path and bring Fido too, as long as your fur buddy is on a leash. This is a popular activity with the locals. Do pick up after your dog if you want to be popular with the locals too.

5) You’ll Find Good Food Options Along The Trail.

Townsend has quite a few great restaurants for a small town and some have welcoming outdoor seating options too. The kids always love the novelty of biking to a restaurant. And they love ice cream breaks, meaning we sometimes stop a lot while biking the trail.

Head to our “Where To Eat In Townsend” blog for a complete rundown of our favorite places or skip to the end of this blog for a quick list of great places along the trail.

6) You Can Cool Off In The Little River.

The north side of the trail follows along the Little River so wear your swimsuit and hop on in for a brisk refresher on a warm summer day. Or sign up for a float down the river with one of the tubing companies in town. It’ll take you about 2 hours and is a great way to spend a hot summer afternoon.

You can bike to the tube rental place or sign up for one of their inclusive packages that gives you bike rentals and all day tubing. That’s a pretty great way to spend a day for not a ton of money.

3 Things I Don’t Like About The Townsend Historical Trail

Sights To See Along The Townsend Historical Trail

Townsend Visitor Center

The Townsend Visitor Center is a good place to start your journey on the Townsend Historical Trail, especially if you are only going to walk or bike a little bit of the trail as some of my favorite sections are on either side of the Visitor Center.

There is parking in front and in back of the building. The restrooms are clean and they have a water fountain/ water bottle filler so it makes a great stop along the trail even if you start somewhere else.

Pick up a free “Shadows of the Past” brochure that tells you all about the Historical Trail and what to see along the way. The brochure has 20+ stops listed so it can be a lengthy exploration if you stop at them all. You can also pick up a mandatory parking tag for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park here if your trip also includes a stop in the park.

The folks working the desk are more than happy to answer questions and give you a multitude of brochures and maps detailing all the possible activities in the Townsend area as well as in the national park. You can also find some nice Smokies- themed souvenirs that aren’t too kitschy. Plus, they have lots of good books about the area and about the park, including niche subjects and rarer titles by small, independent publishers.

The Visitor Center is open everyday from 9-5 except Christmas.

Little River Railroad & Lumber Company Museum

You can’t miss this small but fun (and free!) museum with its large steam engine out front. On the north side of the trail, the Little River Railroad & Lumber Company Museum is across the highway from the Tremont Lodge and Resort and near the Townsend Abbey, a good place for a refreshment stop.

The Little River Railroad Company (LRRR) owned 100,000 acres of land in this area at the turn of the century. It gave 76,000 acres to the government in 1925 to help form the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Most of it had been logged already but it formed a huge chunk of what became the national park. Townsend itself is named for the owner of the LRRR, W.B. Townsend. The museum has a lot of great information about the history of the railroad, the logging industry, and its impact on this area.

Museum Hours And Admission

• Admission FREE! (Donations welcome)
• Open everyday May – Oct from 10 – 5 (Sundays 1-5).
• Open weekends (Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5) in April and Nov.
• Closed Dec- March.
• Check the website as times can change and see if there is a special event going on.

* Pro Tip- Even when the museum is closed though, you can always stop and walk around the big Shay 2147 steam engine out front. There are a couple of other smaller pieces of equipment outside as well but the big steam engine is always a favorite.

The Townsend River Walk And Arboreteum

You will have to dismount from your bikes for a moment but it is worth it to check out the Townsend River Walk And Arboretum, which includes a nature trail along the Little River, a certified arboretum, and several gardens.

Stay on the bike path to see the gardens on the upper section (the azalea garden and the roadside specimen garden), then park your bike and walk down to the 0.5 mile Nature Trail along the river. (There are steps down on the southern end but not on the northern end.) Look for the signs labeling 35 tree species as well as the new Bluebell path which should be amazing once those bloom in the spring.

If you only want to walk the River Walk and aren’t interested in biking at all, then park at the Tuckaleechee Camp Ground United Methodist Church across the highway. Walk west along the Historical Trail on the south side of the road until you come to the tunnel crossing. It will spit you out at the start of the River Walk on the north side of the Historical Trail.

The Covered Bridge Called Sunshine

When the new 2 lane bridge connecting Hwy 321 to Old Walland Hwy was built, there were plans to turn the old, unremarkable, concrete, one lane bridge into a covered bridge. I was skeptical of the idea but I am happy to say that I was wrong to have doubted.

The new covered bridge was named Sunshine (after a now gone hotel) and is a nice place to stop for a minute and watch the river run underneath you. I frequently see fly fishermen trying their luck below and it has been a popular tourist draw for the Instagrammers and the self-appointed family photographers.

The north side of the greenway extends all the way to the bridge and you will find a parking area nearby. You will also find a nearby pedestrian tunnel connecting under the highway to the south section of the trail where there is another parking lot.

Swinging Bridge

The cute little old fashioned swinging bridge by the Townsend Abbey restaurant is always a favorite of the kids. It doesn’t really lead anywhere but that doesn’t stop them from running back and forth across the bridge every time we stop. It just always puts a smile on their face and I have to say me too.

Smoky Mountain Heritage Center

The Heritage Center is a wonderful museum with a collection of historic cabins, barns, and other settler buildings set together in a “village” behind the main building. Inside the main building are more typical museum exhibits showcasing Native American history and aspects of Appalachian culture.

The museum is a pretty cool place to spend an hour or two. The kids like running around the different buildings in the historic village as well as the early Model T and the Plymouth truck in the transportation exhibit. It is a nice way to get some history of the Smokies without having to fight traffic all the way into Cades Cove. This is a typical field trip destination for Blount County and Maryville City school kids.

The museum is open Mon- Sat 10-5 and Sunday 12-5. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for kids, and free for kids 5 and under.

If you are into wine tasting, then add Cades Cove Cellars to your list of sights to stop at along the trail. It’s family- friendly and you can sample interesting wines like a raspberry bubbly or muscadine wine. (They also have more traditional Cabernets and Chardonnays too). Open 10- 5 everyday and until 6 on Fridays and Saturdays.

General Tips About The Townsend Historical Trail

Bike Rentals

• Call first for any of these places to confirm availability, especially in the offseason (roughly Nov- May)

Scotty ebikes – Rents cruiser ebikes as well as bike racks. Can rent for 1/2 day, 1 day, 3 day, or weekly. 7321 E Lamar Alexander Parkway. (931) 265-2658

Vee Hollow Bike Rentals – Rents mountain bikes, e- MTN bikes, kids bikes, city bikes, cruisers, and e- cruisers. Rental shop is located at the base of Vee Hollow Mountain Bike Trail Network, a free network of 14 miles of trails in Townsend. Park in the lots near Burger Master and cross the pedestrian bridge over the river to get to the bike shop. Open 7 days a week, 9am – 5pm, 865-738-3753 or 865-336-2851. The most likely to be open in the offseason.

River Rage Tubing – Rents generic cruisers, kids bikes, e bikes, and tandem bikes. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day. Located at 8303 State Highway 73. 865-336-2710.

Best Section Of The Townsend Historical Trail If You Are Biking

Start at the easternmost end (nearest the national park entrance) on the south side of the trail. There is a parking lot here at the end of the bike path. Bike to the Townsend Volunteer Fire Station which is not far west of the large Tremont Lodge and Resort. This is the prettiest part of the trail to me and is about 2.5 miles one way.

Best Sections If You Are Walking

Townsend River Walk And Arboretum

Scroll back up the blog to see the details about the River Walk. It is about a 2 mile roundtrip walk from the parking at Tuckaleechee Camp Ground Church to the River Walk and back.

If you want to keep walking, then turn right (headed west) when you get back to the south side of the trail after crossing under the pedestrian tunnel. Then walk to the Artistic Bean Coffeehouse/ Apple Valley Cafe just under a mile away. Roundtrip from Tuckaleechee Camp Ground Church to the River Walk and then onto Apple Valley and back, is just under a 4 mile walk.

Around the middle of the south section of the Townsend Historical Walk

Park at the Townsend Visitor Center and walk either way for as long as you want. If you head west you will be along the well- maintained section in front of Tremont Lodge and Resort, and if you go east, you get some nice pastoral views. I think the couple of miles along this stretch is the most scenic part of the Townsend Historical Trail.

Where To Eat In Townsend

There are quite a few restaurants in Townsend to choose from, ranging from fancy (Dancing Bear) to super casual (Burger Master). Many of them have reduced hours or are closed completely in the off-season so be sure to check website pages or Facebook if you are visiting Dec-March.

Read our blog “Where To Eat In Townsend” for a more detailed description of our favorite places but here’s a quick list of great places right along the trail.

• The Townsend Abbey
• Burger Master
• Little River Pub and Deli
• Riverstone Restaurant
• Apple Valley Cafe
• Peaceful Side Social / Taco Bar/ Creamery

If you have kids young enough for a playground, then Peaceful Side Social is the place for you. It has a wonderful natural playscape for kids. It’s associated creamery has delicious homemade ice cream too.

If you are bringing the dog with you, they are welcome on most patios/outside picnic tables. My dog has visited the Townsend Abbey, Peaceful Side Social, Company Distilling, and Burger Master many times.

Townsend IGA– If you want supplies for a picnic or just forgot all the water bottles, then this is your stop. Fairly large for a small town supermarket, the prices are indicative of a small town grocery store though. I put it on the map at the beginning of this blog. Open everyday 6am- 10pm.

Things To Do In The Smokies

If you are looking for some additional ideas of where to go/ what to do in the park itself (I mean, it is RIGHT there, right?), you are speaking with the right people. (So many rights in that sentence it must be right, right? Cue Dad joke groaning now.)

Check out our Smokies page to see all of our favorite places in the park we love so much – best hikes, biking Cades Cove, and more.

Need Advice On Where To Stay In Townsend?

Check out Where To Stay In Townsend, a list of our favorite lodgings in Townsend, from cabins to camping spots.