NC Division of Tourism, Film & Sports Development Photo by Ron Ruehl

Sights & Sounds

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Little Tennessee River

The Little Tennessee River, which can be accessed on foot from the Little Tennessee River Greenway in Franklin, North Carolina, is one of just a handful of major rivers in the Blue Ridge Mountains to have escaped dam construction and development. Consequently, it has retained most of its native fish and is home to some rare species.

One of the country's best smallmouth fishing rivers, the Little Tennessee is also rich in other game fish, including the walleye, which swims in deep water at heads of pools, and the channel catfish and flathead catfish, which can be seen in deep water during the daytime.

The Little Tennessee River Greenway is a five-mile hiking and biking trail in Franklin, NC which features fishing piers, playgrounds, picnic shelters, exercise stations, and a butterfly garden along its length. Within sight of the greenway is the Nikwasi Mound, once the center of a thriving Cherokee village.

For more information, contact:

Northeast Macon County
Franklin Chamber of Commerce
425 Porter Street
Franklin, North Carolina 28734
828-524-3161 866-372-5546

Friends of the (Little Tennessee) Greenway
23 Macon Avenue
Franklin, NC 28734
(828)369-7331

Highlands Visitors Center
828-526-2112

Highlands Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 62
Highlands, NC 28741
828-526-5841