American Travel Journal: Chasteen Creek Cascade - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Chasteen Creek Cascade - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Chasteen Creek Cascade is located in the Smokemont area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While only about 15 feet high, the cascade is a beautiful destination for this easy four mile round-trip hike. The average grade is only 3% or relatively flat for the park. The route to the cascade starts at the north end of the Smokemont Campground. While the campground is open year-round, the northern section is closed in the winter. The seasonal closure adds another 0.2 miles each way to the hike, increasing the trip to 4.4 miles. Limited parking is available at the trailhead or near the gate closing the northern section of the campground.

To reach the cascade, begin hiking the Bradley Fork Trail. The trail follows an old road up Bradley Fork. In ¼ mile, the Towstring Horse Trail merges from the right. The rest of the route is a combination horse and hiking trail. Please be considerate on the trail and remember that horses have the right-of-way. We met one group of a guide and five riders on our hike. The trail closely follows Bradley Fork, although mountain laurel and rhododendron often block the view. At about 1.1 miles, the trail crosses a one-lane plank bridge over Chasteen Creek. Shortly beyond the bridge, the road forks with the Chasteen Creek Trail branching off to the right at about 1.2 miles from the trailhead. Turn right onto the Chasteen Creek Trail to continue to the cascade. Back country campsite 50 is located near here and is visible when there are no leaves on the trees. At one and one-third miles, re-cross Chasteen Creek on another one-lane bridge, this time with handrails. At 1.8 miles, look for a spur trail that veers to the left. Follow the spur trail past the horse hitching rail nearly to the creek. Follow a footpath upstream to the right for about 100 yards to the cascade.

While Chasteen Creek Cascade is not as well-known as other waterfalls and cascades in the park, it packs a lot of beauty into its small size. Because part of the campground was still closed when we hiked to the cascade one afternoon in late March 2016, our hike was 4.4 miles round trip. Even though it was a warm, dry day in the middle of spring break season, we saw very few other visitors on the trail.