Q: A recent Q&A column mentioned the Cataloochee Valley. Is that the area off of U.S. 19 going from Waynesville, N.C., to Maggie Valley, N.C.?
—Harry Buchanan, Johns Creek
A: Yes. The Cataloochee Valley, located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is about 20 miles from both Waynesville and Maggie Valley.
The National Park Service offers these sets of directions on its website: To get there from Oconaluftee or Cherokee, N.C., take the Blue Ridge Parkway to U.S. 19. Follow U.S. 19 (toward Asheville) through Maggie Valley. Turn left onto U.S. 276 North. Just before the entrance ramp to I-40 (but past a gas station), turn left and follow the signs 11 more miles to the Cataloochee Valley.
Or to get to the valley from I-40, exit at North Carolina Exit 20 and travel 0.2 miles on U.S. 276. Turn right onto Cove Creek Road and follow the signs 11 miles into the Cataloochee Valley.
In 2001, the NPS released 25 elk into Cataloochee Valley in western North Carolina as part of a program to reintroduce the once-native elk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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