I completed this hike on a blistering day in early July at around 9am-12pm in 95 degrees.
I started at the Signal Point NPS Overlook Parking area and did the full round-trip hike which turned out to be around 7+ miles when I added the side quest to Rainbow falls in.
The trail was much less crowded and trafficked than I expected, less maintained, and not well blazed. There were several downed trees, it was overgrown in some areas, and there were some splits that genuinely had no guide as to which was the trail and which wasn't. So, that was frustrating and I almost quit a few times and turned around.
I'm glad I didn't. The Edward's Point overlook is stunning and the views of the Tennessee river are worth the effort.
It was a much more challenging hike than expected and, I like to think I'm in decent shape as a runner and person who works out 5-7 times a week regularly. I was panting, my legs were burning, and some of the climbing and rock scrabbling was a bit tough.
I would say, this hike isn't for a casual hiker - my husband would have never done it with me and been furious if I tried to take him on it. So, just know what you're getting into here. It ain't easy! read more