John Oliver Cabin in the Cades Cove region of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
See the Cades Cove Region web page for an interactive location map.
Being the very first homestead on the Cades Cove Loop Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the John Oliver Place is one of the most popular stops, and on a busy day chances are that you will not be able to get a space in the main parking lot unless you just happen to catch somebody pulling out. There is plenty of parking along the shoulder of the road a little farther down. This is also one of the few attractions that is not located right alongside the road. You have a .25-mile walk to the cabin (half mile, round trip) across a level field. Wagon wheel ruts are still worn into the ground from all of the traffic to and from the cabin back before automobiles.
Path from the Cade Cove Loop Road to the John Oliver Cabin in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
All that remains of the Oliver homestead is the cabin, which is open to the public and staffed with volunteers from early April through the end of October. You are free to walk around the place on your own, both upstairs and downstairs. The volunteers will answer your questions, and they usually give a short introduction whenever enough people accumulate. Like most historical structures in the park, there are no furnishings inside the cabin. As explained to me by a park Ranger, such things tend to disappear quickly without security.
Interior of the John Oliver Cabin located in the Cades Cove region of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
John and Lucretia Oliver arrived at Cades Cove in 1818, making them among the first settlers in the area. In fact, the Oliver cabin is one of the oldest cabins in the park, estimated to have been completed in the early 1820s. It was once larger than it is today. The Olivers expanded the cabin over the years, and the National Park Service restored it back to its original appearance by removing all of the additions. Descendants of the Olivers lived here until the land was purchased for Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the mid-1930s.
The best time to get a photo of the cabin is in the morning, for the sun hits it beautifully at this time. Mornings are also the best time to start a trip around the Cades Cove Loop Road, for while the traffic may still be bad, it’s nothing compared to how it will be later in the day.
The Rich Mountain Loop Trail begins behind the cabin.
Allow 30 to 45 minutes for a visit, which includes the walk from the parking area and time to talk with the volunteers.
John Oliver Cabin located in the Cades Cove region of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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Last updated on February 15, 2025
