About Little Greenbrier School
The Little Greenbrier School is the center of a community that no longer exists, and it is one of the few buildings in the park where you can feel the dimensions of the original room.
The building
According to the National Park Service, John Walker and his son James Thomas helped build the log schoolhouse in 1881, at the center of the Little Greenbrier community. It served double duty as a Primitive Baptist church until 1925, a common pattern in remote settlements where one building had to do both jobs. The room is small and plain, and the benches and the stove make it easy to imagine a school day or a service.
Getting there
The NPS suggests parking at Metcalf Bottoms and walking about a half mile to the schoolhouse. A seasonal road, Little Greenbrier Road, also reaches parking close to the school; it is open April 3 to November 29 in 2026. Check the seasonal roads page.
- Time to allow: about an hour from the parking lot and back.
- Facilities: restrooms and picnic tables at Metcalf Bottoms.
- Parking: a parking tag is required for stops over 15 minutes.
Beyond the school
The Walker Sisters Place is just over a mile farther on the Little Brier Gap Trail. The Walkers were the family that helped build the school and kept farming in the park long after the others had left. The walk combines the two stops into a half-day. Check the NPS Walker Sisters page for background.
Tip
Go on a weekday in the morning. In late October the creek is low, the forest is gold and brown, and you may meet nobody on the way. Laurel Falls Trail is closed, so the Little Brier Gap walk is a good alternative for a moderate hike near Metcalf Bottoms.
Good to know
- Do I need a parking tag?
- A Park It Forward parking tag ($5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year) is required for any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Entry is free, and federal passes such as America the Beautiful do not replace the tag.
