Beautiful short hike that is around 2 miles total roundtrip in Townsend near the Smoky Mountains…read more A lot of uphill climbing, but worth it for the waterfall. When we were here this trail was still quite crowded and parking was limited/hard to find so be mindful of that. Otherwise, it's a beautiful site to see.

Looking for short, less populated, but still fabulous waterfall hike while visiting Gatlinburg or…read morethe Great Smoky Mountains? This is it!!! SPRUCE FLATS FALLS is a very short hike that begins at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute @ Tremont. The waterfall trail begins at the exact same point as the Lumber Ridge Trailhead, but the Lumber Ridge Trail goes left while the Spruce Flats trail goes right. The trail is easy to follow for the most part due to the Institute providing additional signs along the way to help guide you. Various hiking websites have differing difficult ratings as well as differing distances to the falls. My personal hiking experience would rate this as mildly moderate and the distance, according to our tracking systems was around .8 miles to the falls for a grand total of about 1.6 miles round trip. ~ MILDLY MODERATE HIKE The distance is easy, and while there are some steep uphill and downhill sections, my heartrate was never elevated to the point of heavy breathing. Experienced hikers would likely rate this trail on the harder side of an easy scale, primarily because of the difficulty of the terrain. It is heavily laced with exposed tree roots and/or embedded with jagged stones making it important to watch your step and balance. ~ OUR EXPERIENCE Our primary reason for visiting the Smokies was to hike Mount LeConte, which we successfully did the day prior to hiking here to Spruce Flats Falls. LeConte is a beast of a hike with an elevation gain of just under 2,900 feet over 5.5 miles. Comparatively, Spruce Flats Falls trail was a delight, but our legs were still extremely sore from our LeConte hike! The pain made our this hike less joyful, but each painful step was well rewarded with a gorgeous waterfall. Our group included myself, an experienced hiker, a grandmother (64), two single moms (29 & 31), their two kids: Adorable 3 year old Jojo and 10 year old Zeke + my yelp daughter Jess (30). My wife was still sore from the LeConte hike and opted to stay back in Gatlinburg. *** LET ME JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY HOW INCREDIBLE MOTHERS ARE!!! Little 3-year-old Jojo's mom carried her probably more then 1/3rd of the hike, particularly over some of the tougher terrains and didn't break a friggin' sweat!!! I carried her tiny 30 pound body up one of the steeper parts of the trail for about 5 minutes and thought I was gonna die! Jojo's 64 year old grandmother who does not hike at all handled the trail like a champion, even leading the way on occasion. Truthfully I was worried by some of the hiking reports for this trail saying it may be difficult for children, seniors and inexperienced hikers, but our group had all of those and it was not a problem. PLUS it had been raining most of the morning (wetting the trail) and continued with a light dewy drizzle most of our hike. ~ FINAL THOUGHTS Yep, my group included three generations of women on a rainy, misty Saturday and we all had a great time! The falls are beautiful! One of the more beautiful ones I've seen in the area, but hard to see in full from the base. This is definitely a waterfall where the pictures are best if you have a drone that can capture it's full grandeur. My difficulty scale: 0 = no effort required 1-3 = easy 4-6 = moderate 7-9 = difficult 10 = extremely difficult WATERFALL ATTRACTIVENESS: 8 out of 10 OVERALL DIFFICULTY: 4 out of 10 (mostly because of terrain) OUR TRACKING DISTANCE: 1.6 miles round trip from parking area across from the Institute @ Tremont. 2020 / 68

Pretty easy trail that goes up almost the entire way. Took us about two hours or so roundtrip…read more Overall a beautiful and peaceful hike with amazing mountain views.

Today was our second time back to Alum Cave Trail, and we did the 2.3 miles to Alum Cave Bluff and…read morethen turned back, for a total of 4.6 miles. You can go on for a total of five miles to reach Mt. Leconte, but since the weather was turning and it was starting to rain we cut our hike short. Like others, I suggest getting to this trail head early, as at 7:30 am half the parking lot was full!! We love this trail in particular for its endless water features, lots of scenic spots to take pictures, unique bridges, and the breathtaking view from the top. Even with the bad weather today, it was something spectacular watching the fog lift above the golden trees. If you haven't been, this trail is definitely worth your time and attention. You will want to wear some sturdy walking shoes for this one and maybe even bring a walking stick!!

One thing about visiting this falls they have limited parking permitted. The government offices is…read morenear and you're not permitted to part there. The other locations is limited to maybe 10-15 vehicles. Recommend adding more spaces to the area. When we started the hike to the falls it wasn't more than 0.10 miles if so to the falls. Then we decided to do the entire hike around and that took maybe 2.40 miles all the way around the loop. The hike wasn't bad at all. This is an educational trail as it lists the different species that you will run into during your hike. It tells you when and where the hornets nest resides on the park and to be careful. If you are a beginner and want to see a couple cool things this is the trail to go on. They have a welcome center along the trail if you want to learn more about the trail and other trails nearby.

Cataract Falls is one of the easiest and most family-friendly waterfalls in the Smokies. The walk…read moreis short, mostly flat, and shaded. perfect for young kids, older adults, or anyone who doesn't want a strenuous hike. There's lots of places to walk or swim in the shallow stream with rocks the water was too cold for us Floridians but still refreshing to wash your hands in. One tip: we initially drove around trying to find the trailhead and couldn't figure out where the entrance was. We finally stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center gift shop and learned the trail starts directly behind the visitor center near the restrooms. You'll need a parking pass to park, but we opted for the all-day parking tag since we planned to visit multiple areas in the national park, and it was well worth it. The waterfall itself isn't huge, but it's peaceful, and a great spot for photos. If you're looking for a quick, relaxing waterfall without a long hike, Cataract Falls is definitely worth adding to your itinerary.

Loved this hike! 5 mile round trip to falls through moderate up and down climbs. Some roots and…read morerocks, a few log bridges and maybe a place or two with a slight scramble. If a hiker is in good shape, this is no problem. If not in great shape then can be challenging. That said, we passed by families with small children and more than a few grandparents. If planning the hike, trailhead is at the far eastern end of Cades Cove motor loop, which is a single lane, one way paved road. Can take a while to get in and out of during busy time as tourists drive slowly through the park and often pull on and off the road to see the sights.

Hike was great. It is not for everybody it is alot of up hill terrain and it is 2.5 miles there and…read more2.5 miles back. Hike took about 3.5 hrs for the both of us. Some make sure you start early enough so it doesn't get dark on you. Well worth the hike but bring water and a snack because it will take a bit.

Great hiking trail for all ages. About a mile and a half up to the historic barn attraction…read more Great views of the mountain stream that runs alongside the trail. This is one of my favorite easy, family friendly trails to hike on.

This was probably one of our favorite hikes during our vacation to GSMNP. The trail itself is…read morelocated in Greenbrier at the end of a long gravel road. What this means for you, is that this trail isn't as crowded as most others in the park! Porters Creek is about 4 miles roundtrip with Fern Branch Falls being the turn around point. You can continue on the trail another 1.5-2 miles after that but it just leads you to a campground. The trail is rated as moderate but we found the first mile to be fairly easy. The second mile was more uphill and rocky with a lot of tree roots to compete with. The first mile of the hike runs along Porters Creek and the gravel/dirt trail is wide. Along the way you will see several historic points of interest. First stop is The Owenby Cemetery which dates from the early 20th century. You will also pass the John Messer Barn built in 1875 and the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club Cabin built around 1934. If you do this hike, take some time to explore these places. They were pretty cool! During the second mile, the trail narrows some as you start heading uphill. The forest becomes a little more dense and you really have to start watching your footing. At the turn around point, you'll see Fern Branch Falls. This waterfall is about 40-50 feet up from the trail and it was pretty cool watching it trickle down the side of the mountain. It's no where as big as say Abrams Falls but it is still impressive in its own right. Porters Creek trail was a nice change of pace. If you are looking to get away from the crowds, this might be the perfect trail for you. We saw maybe a total of 10 people during our 4 mile hike. Beautiful hike!

After a strenuous hike up Mt. LeConte, the Lodge provided amazing , hardy meals enjoyed with fellow…read morehikers from many, many places. The welcoming staff made the meals even more enjoyable! At 83 years old, I know this was my last hike to Mt. LeConte Lodge, after four previous hikes beginning in my twenties. My wife and I celebrated our honeymoon there 49 years ago in 1977.

As a local content creator here in Gatlinburg The Gatlinburg Hussey, I highly recommend hiking Mt…read moreLaconte in Gatlinburg, TN Smokies I've done it 2 times and I was almost 280 the first time and 200 the second time I tell all of my subscribers to do this and if it's too tough, try a smaller trail Please bring the kids too and have them explore nature ahd and get them off the phone and have their hands get dirty

The Gatlinburg Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is wide, mostly level, and…read morestunning. Flanked by forest and the river, the trail is lushly green with the sound of water flowing over rocks as you meander. When we were there, there in April we passed by several people on the trail so it doesn't feel too remote. If it's your first day at the park, this trail is a great way to begin your adventures. It will take you to the national park visitor's center where you can get more info (and souvenirs). We didn't take the full trail but what we did, we loved. Get to it!

Today was our 3rd time walking the Gatlinburg Trail (April, 2025; Sept, 2023; and some earlier…read moredate!) It's a wide, two-mile trail along the Pigeon River, that connects the Great Smokies Sugarland Visitors Center with the town of Gatlinburg. In each case, we walked both directions to make it about a 4.0 mile "hike." It's more-or-less flat, with a total elevation change of about 180', with one hill in the middle. The trail is mostly, but not completely, shaded. The trail is very popular, so you'll see quite a few people, which also makes it impossible to get lost. There are families with strollers and young kids; people walking dogs on leashes; older couples (like us)! It seems that we see something new every time. In Sept, 2023, we saw a bear on the riverbank on the side across the river near the footbridge. Today, we saw an eastern garten snake (nonvenomous) on the trail. We also discovered an old cemetery that was in plain sight but we had somehow missed during earlier visits. Two recommendations to make the trail even better: (1) more benches. There is one bench that was relatively close to the Gatlinburg entrance, but only rocks or tree stumps to sit on until you reach the Visitors Center. (2) more mileage marker signs. And, a TIP. Parking can be a challenge. You can park at the large lot at the National Park Service (NPS) Sugarland Visitors Center or in one of the few parking spaces near the Gatlinburg entrance to the trail. In either case, you need to display a NPS parking pass ($5). Most recently, in April 2025, when we arrived around 11 am on a Monday, these areas were packed with dozens of cars circling and looking for a spot. We ended up parking in an expensive private lot near the Gatlinburg entrance to the trail -- $20 for parking until 2 am. Shorter durations were not available.

This trail is one of the best of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park…read more I've been visiting every year since I was a child, and I tend to go back to this one again and again. The hike is an intermediate level trail, and it's extremely rocky so make sure to be prepared for steep downgrades and upgrades on jagged rocks. The first half of the trail is almost all downhill, and the second half all uphill, so save your energy stores for the way back. The middle of the trail has magical Sherwood Forest vibes, with lots of mossy rocks and trees. I recommend bringing a healthy snack and lots of water that you can enjoy when you get to the Bald viewpoint. The view won't be visible on a misty, overcast day, but it's still worth the adventure!

Andrews Bald Trail was one of the many, many hikes that we did during our week-long adventure in…read morethe fall in GSMNP. Sadly, we visited in an "off" year as the leaves usually change when we were there, but due to warmer weather, they were 1-2 weeks behind. Still, the park was beautiful. My partner suffered from a knee injury while hiking up to Mount LeConte so we opted for taking it easier our last day or two in the park. This trail is conveniently located right off of the Clingmans Dome and Visitor Center. We did the Dome trail (which is actually challenging given the incline) and then did this one to escape the crowds. It's a nice out-and-back trail where you travel mostly downhill out to Andrews Bald and then mostly back up on the way back to the parking lot (if that's where you're headed). The scenery is beautiful on the trail, although the Bald is the best spot to break, have lunch, take a nap, and just listen to the wind rustle through the weeds that surround you. It was great to take in the views and have lunch as well, although if you're crunched for time, I would recommend other trails throughout the park to get even better views of the mountains.