Townsend is a very small town located on highway #321 near the south end of the park. It is several miles southeast of Maryville, Tennessee. Maryville is located within a few miles of I-40, depending on which exit you choose. The south entrance to the park is located near Townsend.
The locals refer to Townsend as the “Peaceful Side of the Smokies”. It has several small to medium size motels, some bed & breakfast rentals and campgrounds. There are a few small mom and pop restaurants. There is one grocery store; a small shopping village; and some small, gas station type combination stores.
Although Townsend it is located on Little River, it is about 14 miles to the better trout fishing areas of Little River. Lower Little River is better suited for smallmouth bass. You can follow the Little River Road through the park for approximately nine miles to get to the beginning of the trout fishing in Little River. A faster way to get there from Townsend is to travel over the mountain and enter the park from Wears Valley. The Wears Valley entrance will access Little River at Metcalf Bottoms. That area of Little River provides good fishing for all but the hot summer months of the year.
Townsend is close to the Middle Prong and West Prongs of Little River. Both of these streams provide decent trout fishing in the early and late seasons of the year when the weather is cool. Townsend is also the closest town to the upper section of Abrams Creek, one of the better trout streams in the park, located in Cades Cove. It requires traveling through Cades Cove on the loop road to reach the stream.
If you strictly want to get away from everything, then Townsend would be a nice place to stay during your visit. If you have children or teenagers, we would not suggest Townsend. They would not be very proud of your decision to stay there. There is little for the youngster or wife to do outside of park activities, and no fast food places or other entertainment for them.
Motels:
There are several small to medium size motels in Townsend.
Cabin Rentals:
There are many rental cabins in and near Townsend.
Hotels/Bed and Breakfast:
There are a few bed and breakfast places and one especially nice hotel near Townsend.
Campgrounds:
There is a campground and some motor home camps in Townsend.
Restaurants:
There are several nice restaurants in Townsend.
Fly Shops/Stores:
Little River Outfitters, Townsend
Gander Mountain, Knoxville
Dick’s Sporting Goods, Knoxville
Bass Pro Shop, Sevierville
Orvis, Pigeon Forge
Walmart, Maryville
Links that may be helpful:
Chamber of Commerce
Copyright 2011 James Marsh
