Registration set for annual Cades Cove race

Online registration for the third annual Cades Cove Loop Lope, the only footrace in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, opens at 10 a.m., Tuesday, July 16, at LoopLope.org. Participation is limited to 750 runners on the 5k or 10-mile courses. This year’s race takes place on Sunday, November 3.

The Cades Cove Loop Lope is hosted by and benefits Friends of the Smokies, an official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service and Great Smoky Mountains National Park which supports critical projects and programs in the park including environmental education, historic preservation, wildlife management, and more.

“We are so excited to bring back the Loop Lope for another beautiful fall in the Smokies,” said Kathryn Hemphill, special projects director at Friends of the Smokies. “This is the only race happening inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so you do not want to miss out. Nothing else will match the experience.”

The event features a virtual race option for those who cannot visit the Smokies to participate in person. Virtual runners can sign up online, run at the time and place of their choosing, and still support Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

All participants must register in advance and space is limited. To protect the natural and cultural resources of Cades Cove, there are a limited number of parking passes available for runners to purchase at the time of registration. Free parking in Townsend and shuttle buses will be available for all registered runners without a parking pass.

Registration for both course lengths, the virtual race, and interested volunteers will open at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 16. Registration and additional information can be found at LoopLope.org.

Friends of the Smokies is an official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and has raised $65 million to support critical park programs in North Carolina and Tennessee.