Little Cataloochee Baptist Church in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (photo by Matthew Paulson)

For a location map, visit the Cataloochee Historical Area web page.

The Little Cataloochee Baptist Church was built in 1889, with the bell tower being added 25 years later. The original 400-pound bell was donated by William Hannah and is still rung today by visitors to the church. Families that once lived in the community have yearly reunions where they clean up the cemetery and decorate the graves.

The Little Cataloochee Baptist Church is located along the Little Cataloochee Trail, making hiking and horseback riding the only way to see it and two other remaining structures in the Little Cataloochee community. This is a mountain trail that follows a stream and is moderate in difficulty, though there are some strenuous sections. It can also become quite muddy after a rain storm. The one-way distance is about six miles. The trail can be accessed from its southern end at the Beech Grove School in Big Cataloochee by first walking .8-mile down the Pretty Hollow Gap Trail to the intersection with the Little Cataloochee Trail (the 6-mile distance stated earlier includes the .8 mile). The northern access point is along the dirt road that runs between the Cataloochee and Big Creek regions.

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