Favorite Gatlinburg Hiking Trails

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, boasts breathtaking scenery, extraordinary waterfalls and a multitude of hiking trails.

For hikers accompanied by children and for newbies to the sport, Grotto Falls is the ideal place to get started. A unique feature of this adventure is the opportunity to walk behind a 20 foot waterfall. Hikers are treated to an unusual aura as they watch and listen to water cascading around them. Grotto Falls is a favorite haunt for salamanders. Especially in springtime, Trillium Trail is adorned with an awe inspiring display of wildflowers as far as the eye can see. This approximate three mile trek requires two to three hours to complete.

Situated on an actual Cherokee Indian Reservation, Mingo Falls, accessible via Pigeon Creek Trail, features a 20 foot waterfall that is said to be the tallest waterfall in the Smoky Mountains. Encompassing four-tenths of a mile, this trail's skill level is ranked moderate. To many visitors, part of the difficulty stems from the fact that a 159 step stairway must be ascended at the beginning of the trail which is estimated to occupy a 10 minute span of time. In addition to beautiful scenery, hikers have the opportunity to visit an authentic Cherokee Indian settlement.

Following the negotiation of a wooden bridge, the trek to Abrams Falls passes through the floor of Cades Cove Valley. The highlight of this is the site of a 20 foot tall waterfall whose water flows at an mindboggling rate of speed. No swimming is allowed in the pool at the base of Abrams Falls because of the dangerous currents its waterflow speed creates. While in the area, visitors are urged to take the time to visit a cabin erected by the hands of John and Lucretia Oliver. This ediface is deemed to be one of the earliest structures built in the Smoky Mountains.

Abrams Falls also features opportunities to sight black bears, white-tailed deer, groundhogs and raccoons. Visitors are urged to give a wide birth to any skunks they may encounter.

Cades Cove Valley is also home to Little Greenbrier School, an 1800s building that served as a one-room schoolhouse and as the worship center for a church.

Hikers are encouraged not to miss the chance to visit a working grain mill. Mingus Mill is a turbine powered grain grinding mill that has been in operation since 1886. Cornmeal is still sold there today.

For older hikers or those who are physically handicapped, Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail offers a half mile circle that is accessible by wheelchair. A guidebook is made available to visitors containing information relative to special points of interest along the way including the opportunity to view the exterior of several early 20th century structures that were used by the rich and famous as second or vacation homes.

Porter's Creek Trail is deemed to be an easy two mile trek amidst some very interesting attractions including the remnants of a Model T vehicle and a burial site. Visitors have the unique opportunity to enter a barn and cabin once frequented by Great Smoky Mountain Hikers Club members.

At an elevation estimated to be 6,643 feet lies Clingmans Dome that is the highest point in the entire state of Tennessee. Hikers who successfully reach the dome are rewarded with a 360 degree view of awesome scenery that is 20 to 100 miles away. Visibility varies depending upon fog density and other atmospheric conditions. Clingmans Dome over-look is often dubbed “the flying saucer of Tennessee.”

Featuring a unique growth area for spruce trees, at one point, Clingmans Dome intersects the world renowned Appalachian Trail that runs from Georgia to Maine.

The two and a half mile hike around Laurel Falls is a mecca for photography buffs. Named in honor of the profusion of mountain laurel shrubs, Laurel Falls offers a unique opportunity for hikers to rest their feet and have fun at the same time. Some 30 canopy trees are the scene for a zipline adventure of a lifetime achieved at speed rates estimated to top 40 miles per hour.

Hiking around Laurel Falls is worth time for those desiring a relatively easy trek along mostly paved trail; however, prominently displayed signage is present cautioning hikers of dangerous conditions they will encounter should they elect to wander off the clearly marked pathway.

Hiking trails through the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee are rated on a scale of difficulty ranging from 0-5 easy, 5-10 moderate and 10+ for trails that should only be negotiated by experienced hikers and others are deemed to be in top-notch physical and mental health.

Ranked slightly above 10, specifically 10.59 on the difficulty scale is Middle Prong Trail commencing as a gravel trail along the banks of one of the Little River branches. This trail requires hikers to climb for 2.3 miles. The trail continues for another 1.8 miles before connecting with other more strenuous trails in the area.