Easy hike has history
During the hot, hazy days of August this is a perfect short and shady hike along a happily flowing river and its tributaries.
There's a lot to see, and at the trailhead is one of the park's nicest picnic grounds.
The hike starts out along a wide, graveled jeep road that runs parallel to the Metcalf Bottoms picnic area. As I hiked there were children laughing and splashing in Little River, happy welcoming sounds that took me back to sweet summertime memories.
After about a quarter mile, the trail turns left and starts to climb. When you see the water tower on your right, look to your left and you'll see a stone wall and steps, the remains of one of the many small homesteads that were here before the national park was established in 1936.
Shortly, the roadbed gives way to a well-trod footpath through a cool rhododendron tunnel. One picturesque log bridge is followed by a short stone one and then another log bridge, all with handrails.
Just over the last one is Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse. The structure, built in 1882 of giant poplar logs by parents of local children. For many years it was used as a church and a schoolhouse.
Children walked as far as nine miles, many using this very trail to get there. School sometimes lasted as little as six weeks to two months, as long as their "poll tax" would pay the teacher.
Just outside the school is a cemetery surrounded by a picket fence. A split-rail fence separates the school from a small gravel parking area and outhouse. Walk through the gate in the split-rail fence and up the hill behind the parking area. You'll see another gated jeep road marked by a sign for the Walker Sister's cabin, 1.1 miles away. The gravel road continues all the way to the cabin, making it an especially easy walk for families.
As you walk, try to imagine the Walker sisters, Margaret, Polly, Martha, Louisa and Hettie, making their way to school each day. All five of them lived in this lovely cabin until the last of them died in 1964.
It remains much as it was in the 1870s, when it was built by their father, John Walker.
After hiking back to the picnic ground, you may want to stay for supper or a float in Little River. If you haven't come prepared but your appetite is raging, consider stopping at Grandmother's Kitchen, about a mile further east on Wear Valley Road. This small, locally-owned restaurant has a beautiful view and is particularly well known for its cat-head biscuits.
Walker Sisters Cabin on the Metcalf Bottoms Trail
Distance: Four miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Directions: Take U.S. 129 and U.S. 321 South to Townsend. Turn left on U.S. 321 (Wear Valley Road). Follow to Lyon Springs Road on right (look for Steven Spangler art gallery on corner) Turn right and follow it until it turns into Wear Cove Gap Road. This one-lane, paved road is a little-known entrance into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trailhead is just before you cross the bridge into Metcalf Bottoms picnic area.
