Little Greenbrier

Little Greenbrier is the name of a former Appalachian community that is now an historical area in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. The community was situated in a hollow rising from Metcalf Bottoms along Little River to the upper slopes of Cove Mountain, in the northeastern section of the national park. Little Greenbrier was once known simply as "Greenbrier," but the "Little" was added to its name to distinguish it from the larger Greenbrier located between Mount Le Conte and Mount Guyot to the east.Little Greenbrier is currently home to the Walker Cabin and the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse— both on the National Register of Historic Places.GeographyLittle Greenbrier is located in a gradually-ascending hollow on the southwestern flank of Cove Mountain. This mountain links up with the eastern flank of Roundtop Mountain to form a long wall-like ridge that provides a natural boundary between Wears Valley and the national park (the park boundary roughly follows the ridgecrest). Little Brier Branch, its source near the top of Cove Mountain, flows southward and drains Little Greenbrier before emptying into Little River at Metcalf Bottoms.Lyon Springs Road, which connects Wears Valley Gap Road (U.S. Route 321) with Little River Gorge Road, passes near Little Greenbrier. A short gravel road leads from Lyon Springs Road to the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse. The rest of Little Greenbrier can be reached via short hiking trails, namely the Little Brier Gap Trail from Metcalf Bottoms, or the much longer Cove Mountain Trail from the Sugarlands Visitor Center several miles to the east.