I never met a waterfall that I didn't like. We did a driving tour along Little River in Great Smoky…read moreMountains National Park to see if we could spot some wildlife. The Sinks is a lovely waterfall along the river. There is a small parking lot with about a dozen spaces where we found parking. An observation area is a short walk from parking. A sign describes the area and that the falls were manmade. During the late 1800's the river was used to transport logs/timber to the nearby town of Elkmont. After a storm, flood waters caused a jam in the river. Dynamite was used to restore water flow. The blast resulted in a twist in the river and creation of the waterfall. A set of stone steps leads up a hill, offering lovey views of the falls. There are dozens of waterfalls in the Park. Sinks is one of the few that is drivable, which is great for people that cannot hike. I picked up a Waterfalls map at the visitor center that I found interesting and informative. Parking passes are required to park in the lot. There are no amenities at the falls. Plan 15-30 minutes for a stop and photos.

We found a prime parking spot at The Sinks and looked at the area from above the bridge. People…read morewere cliff jumping from the cliffs using ropes, and just free jumping into the water below. Saw the waterfall, but we did not venture into the water. Very small parking lot, but worth a quick stop if you can find a spot to park the car.

The view was amazing, the kids enjoyed seeing the falls. It was easy to navigate but hard to find…read morewhen you first pull up if you've never been there before. It is not wheelchair accessible, and can be a bit of a steep climb. Parking is on the side of the mountain. We had a great time while we were there and there is a small swimming hole at the bottom of the falls.

It's not where it says it is on the google and apple maps. We asked a park ranger where it was and…read moreshe put us on the path. We went on a Tuesday and luckily for us we had the place to ourselves, an occasional hiker would pop in and look around and one other couple came to swim. The water was crystal clear, cool mountain aqua. No trash or other intrusive nonsense was present and the spot is absolutely serene. We swam for a few hours and wrapped by jumping off the big rocks into the "deep end" . Good times for sure, beware of bears and all that jazz.

This hike is beautiful and the scenery all throughout this hike is great! You can even walk behind…read morethe falls; so cool! The trail is about 3 miles roundtrip and is pretty easy with a bit of an incline/hill. Should be manageable for all ages and levels. Enjoy the beauty!

Grotto Falls is a beautiful hike and definitely worth seeing. Walking behind the waterfall is a…read moreunique experience, and the trail is shaded with gorgeous scenery along the way. The biggest challenge is getting there. There are only about 10 parking spots on a one-way road, with very few pull-off areas along the entire route. We actually drove there twice and couldn't find parking either time. We ended up having one person drop us off and pick us up later at an agreed-upon time since cell phone reception on the trail was very spotty. The hike to the falls is mostly uphill for about 1 mile, and I had to take several breaks. I wouldn't consider it toddler-friendly. The hike back is much easier since it's downhill, but you still need to be careful. The trail is full of roots, rocks, and slippery terrain that blend into the dirt, making it easy to slip, trip, or twist an ankle. One member of our group was injured, so I highly recommend wearing quality hiking boots with good traction and ankle support. Despite the parking challenges and moderately difficult hike, the waterfall is beautiful and worth the effort if you're prepared and arrive early.

Beautiful very easy to walk trail. More like a walk actually, close to the main entrance in the…read moreSmoky Mountains National Park

Beautiful and scenic. A bit more strenuous than I'd thought it would be. Still, quite lovely and…read morecool

This is a fun, minor hike (I believe it is about a half mile. Great views, peaceful, not very…read morecrowded normally.

The Smoky Mountains are the geese that lay Blount County's prolific supply of golden eggs. Look…read moreRock Tower is the perfect place from which to view them all at once! There's ample parking, a short paved trail, and a big pay-off at the end - a 360 view. Please be aware that the Foothills Parkway and the tower are on federal land, so mind your manners. Also, a parking pass is required.

This probably is not a review, but sharing an unusual journey. I called it Adventures of returns…read more A fair lady, a desperate housewife, and an everyday aunty - a trio that should be shopping instead wondered into the Smoky Mountain. Originally they had planned to just breathe some fresh air and shoot a few photos of people frightened by black bears. In the end the experience turned out to be one of the most challenging day of their lives. The plan in the beginning was simple. Hike a 3 mile trail up 1500 meters to the Rainbow Fall, and return four hours later to the parking to have a picnic. There would be no need for a raincoat or umbrella since there was no possibility to encounter any afternoon thunder storms. The scene was pretty. The sound of the creek was soothing. The first three miles wasn't as hard as expected. After taking a break and some pictures at the waterfall, it was time to return. But suddenly, an unusual rush of adrenaline came through the trio, they decided to hike up another 2.2miles to the highest point (2010M) of all the Smoky Mountain trails. At the top was a romantic log cabin where they could enjoy a nice meal, "Liked" by many web reviewers. Even the aunty didn't think twice to put on her helmet (hat), and grabbed her gun (sticks picked in woods) and went forward ambitiously. The trail turned out to be extremely rocky throughout, with wild bees constantly buzzing around the ears. The fair lady even saw a black shadow flash across the trail and the three knew that the stories of black bears were not imagined. But no one mentioned giving up and turning around, everyone seemed willing to make the extra effort for the cabin cuisine. 2.2 mile was actually 4 mile, and was 5 extra hours of climbing. The romantic cabin was actually only a woodshed. It turned out that people went there to experience a primitive life. Basic supplies for cabins are delivered by a llama once a day. The fancy meal that many people "Liked" was actually a basic meal for survival (bagel, cheese, cookies and unlimited Hot chocolate). The three women gnawed their bagels silently, while the fair lady thought she certainly could get out the mountain before thunderstorms if she didn't need to care the other two. The desperate housewife was disappointed that a grilled chicken became a cold bagel. The everyday aunty thought the llama would probably be a great ride to get back to the bottom the mountain! The bagels filled up their stomachs as well as their minds. They must have the same goal - rush down the mountain before dark. Clouds started gathering and the trio knew, during the next 5 hours, they must have immense courage and luck to get out of the mountains. Before they finished the first mile, thunder and lightning raged from the sky, and soybean sized hails shot like BB bullets for more than 20 minutes, followed by pouring rain. The trail under their feet became a river, and they held their tears as they walked carefully on the shoulder wide road to avoid slipping into the valley. The fair lady became the leading general Mulan, the desperate housewife was the center coordinator as Mu,GuiYin, and even the everyday aunty acted viciously like the Lady Jade Fox limping up and down, not letting the other two fall behind. Seven miles seemed never-ending. Just before dark, a sign that told them they were only 0.4 miles away from the parking lot finally made them laugh . The journey in the mountain lasted over 12 hours. With no idea what the fair lady and rich housewife was thinking, the everyday aunty just wanted to hit "Like" for the review on the Mount Le Conte's web page after a good sleep.

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.

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

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!!

Gorgeous trail with diverse beauty. We did the medium length hike to the bluff and loved it. Once…read moreyou pass the cave the whole hike is pretty much going uphill so come prepared to get a workout in and wear proper shoes and bring some water. The views are great from the bluff and totally worth it. We came during the week around noon and parking lot was full so we had to park further out and walk about a half mile or so to the trail so be prepared for that or plan your time. Totally worth it! One of my favorite hikes that we did in the area. Loved being by the creek, the log crossings, the cave, the moss, the trees, and the Mountain Views. the scenery was so pretty. There is a bathroom on-site at the start of the trail in case you are wondering.

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!