Waldens Creek, TN Real Estate in the Smoky Mountains
The Walden Creek area of Sevier County is located just to the West of Pigeon Forge. The area along Walden's Creek is typically fairly level with a gentle topography, but as you stray away from Walden Creek, the land has more mountainous terrain. The area is a mix of permanent residences (typically on acreage as there are very few resident developments in the area) and developments with a focus on overnight rental cabins and vacation homes.
Waldens Creek is one of the more prominent creeks in Sevier County. Widths of the creek generally range from a few feet to about 20 feet wide. The creek is not very deep and in most places has small rocks along the creekbed and in the water.
Developments in the Walden Creek area include:
Shagbark, Cedar Falls, The Summit on Bluff Mountain, Brothers Cove, Laughing Pines, Walden Cove, Little Valley Mountain Resort, Covered Bridge Resort, and several others.
Some developments such as Covered Bridge Resort and Brothers Cove cater strictly to overnight cabin rentals. While other communities such as Cedar Falls, Shagbark, and Laughing Pines have a mix of permanent residences, vacation homes and rental cabins. Some developments such as The Summit on Bluff Mountain are only permanent residences and vacation/second homes.
Shagbark was one of (if not) the first large scale development in the Smokies. Developed in the 1970's it consists of over 700 lots covering over 1,200 acres. It is the home of approximately 60 permanent residences, many vacation homes and rental properties, along with a very large number of lots not yet built upon. The gated development features a 24 hour security guard at the entrance gate, community clubhouse and pool, along with some beautiful scenery and views. The development has had its hardships however, as the original developer went bankrupt with the large project.
Shagbark has quite a variety of properties ranging from homes built in the 1970's to brand new cabins. Prices range from as low as $80,000 to well over $1,000,000. The majority of properties are in the $175,000 to $400,000 range. There are several lot foreclosures along with cabin foreclosures and short sales within Shagbark. However, due to its huge size, the numbers with respect to a percentage of total lots and homes is not substantially higher than other cabin rental and vacation home developments in the area.
Cedar Falls is luxury cabin resort in the Walden Creek area. The development features upscale cabins and many amenities. There is a covered bridge as you enter the community along with an old wheel from a mill. The development also has a small wedding chapel, community swimming pool, and walking trails. There is a gated section of Cedar Falls that offers exclusive homesites and some magnificent luxury homes with terrific views. While there are several rental cabins in Cedar Falls, it has a large percentage of cabins used as vacation and second homes as well.
Prices in Cedar Falls range from approximately $250,000 to well over $1,000,000 in the gated portion of the community. Most cabins are priced $350,000 to $600,000. There are relatively few foreclosures and short sales within this development in comparison to many others in the Sevier County area.
Brothers Cove is one of the Western most developments on Walden's Creek Road. It is also gated and in the lower elevation portions of the development features a narrow winding road with cabins privately tucked into the woods. Great care was taken to remove as few trees as possible with the development, especially in the lower portions. As you rise in elevation, you get to the community swimming pool (named the "Cement Pond"), pavillion area with large stone fireplace, and conference/banquet lodge. The views from this area are outstanding. Yet even further up takes you to Carson's Ridge and Nickel Ridge Way which both offer tremendous long range views of the Smokies. Most of the cabins in the upper portion are larger while in the lower, more private locations the cabins are typically smaller one and two bedroom cabins.
This development has also faced a lot of foreclosures and short sales recently. A few of the cabins in the lower portion have went into foreclosure including one on Brice Hollow Way, but the majority of short sales and foreclosures are taking place in the upper regions where the larger cabins are located and those with views. Sales prices within Brothers Cove range from as low as $135,000 for a 1 bedroom foreclosure up to over $700,000 when the larger cabins were sold new.
Covered Bridge Resort is located just off Waldens Creek Road in one of the closest locations to Pigeon Forge in the Waldens Creek area. The development consists of quality constructed rental cabins with views ranging from very little to moderate to above average. While there are not any spectacular, jaw dropping views in the development it does have its great location, quality built cabins, and amenities such as a community pool. If you prefer cabins to not be close together, this is most likely not the place for you. The majority of cabins are stacked in pretty close together, but there are some exceptions (see photo to right).
Prices in Covered Bridge Resort range from approximately $150,000 to over $500,000. Recent foreclosures have driven prices down dramatically. Certain cabins have sold for less than half of their original sales price within Covered Bridge Resort.
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