Update: Click here to see photos from the 2007 Shady Valley Cranberry Festival

Shady Valley Tennessee: A Beautiful Mountain Valley Town

All photos and illustrations by Pat Johns ©2007
All Rights Reserved
See links to article references at the end of the article.

September, 2007

"The bowl that constitutes Shady Valley, created by the Holston, Iron and Cross Mountains, once flourished with wild cranberries, red spruce and other flora and fauna normally found only in Canadian-like climates. Many of those species are now gone, but some cranberries remain and the valley continues to be know for its uniqueness and beauty. PLease enjoy your visit to the Valley and consider returning Friday evening and all day Saturday, the second weekend of October each year, to attend our annual cranberry festival."
    ~ Information kiosk in Shady Valley Tennessee

In a region of so many beautiful places, Shady Valley Tennessee is a real stand out. The famous curving roads which lead up from Mountain City Tennessee to Shady Valley open up to a breathtaking view of a flat mountain valley with corn fields and pumpkin patches and, amazingly, 3 stores and restaurants at the same intersection. Not bad for an area with just over 1,100 residents (2000 census.)

It is believed that the Valley was formed by ice flows during the ice age which also left 10,000 acres of swamp fields,perfect for growing cranberries. However, in the 1960s, the US Corps of Engineers built a drainage system around Beaver Dam Creek to turn the wetlands into farm land. There is only a one-third acre bog remaining.

The history of the cranberry bogs is celebrated each year during the second weekend at the Cranberry Festival which attracts around 5,000 locals and visitors.

The valley was first settled in the 1700s. At 2800 feet elevation, the area's temperatures are cooler in the summer than surrounding East Tennessee towns and October brings stunning Fall colors and many visitors to the valley.

The town is a haven for motorcyclists and other road trip adventurers and the curvy appproach (known as "The Snake") is frequently listed in motorcycle trip guides. Shady Valley is a motorcycle-friendly town with stores and campgrounds for motorcyclists.

In 1978, The Nature Conservancy got involved in Shady Valley:

"Shady Valley has long been recognized as one of the Southern Appalachians' most ecologically important areas, a rare high-elevation remnant of the last Ice Age. . . Since 1997, The Nature Conservancy has had a satellite office in Shady Valley staffed by longtime valley residents. The Conservancy has worked to preserve and restore the few mountain bog sites still remaining in Shady Valley. These restorations have been identified as the single most important factor in the long-term protection of rare wetland plant species like the wild cranberry and the bog turtle in Shady Valley. The Conservancy is dedicated to protecting the valley's unique cultural and natural heritage. As with all of its work, The Nature Conservancy seeks to find solutions that allow people and nature to live harmoniously."
    ~ The Nature Conservancy website (see link below)

Directions to Shady Valley from Watauga Lake:

Starting at Butler, go north on Highway 67 to Mountain City. Turn left on Routes 421/91 to Shady Valley.

Links to references in this article and to sites related to Shady Valley Tennessee:

• Shady Valley Country Store
• Shady Valley General Store
• Nature Conservancy - Shady Valley Cranberry Bog Restoration
• Shady Valley Cranberry Festival
• Motorcycle Playground
• Purchase a Mad Map of Smokey Mountain and Appalachian Tours