The Gatlinburg Trail is an easy two mile walk from Sugarlands Visitor Center to the edge of Gatlinburg. The first ½ mile is not very scenic as it follows a concrete sidewalk from the visitor center past the park headquarters building before turning left on the gravel shoulder of Park Headquarters Road to the maintenance base. From here, the trail follows Fighting Creek and the West Prong Little Pigeon River downstream to Gatlinburg.
We hiked the four mile round trip on a warm, sunny day in late February 2016. The trail was in great condition without any muddy areas. In fact, it was mostly dry, even after recent heavy rains. A previous post from our spring 2015 hike on the trail can be found here.
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| Fighting Creek |
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| Park Headquarters Road bridge over Fighting Creek |
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| Fighting Creek flows from right into West Prong Little Pigeon River |
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| Downstream of the confluence |
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| West Prong Little Pigeon River top left and Fighting Creek on right |
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| A small cascade |
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| Gravel shoulder on Park Headquarter Road with maintenance base in the distance |
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| Standing waves in the river |
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| More whitewater |
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| Twomile Branch joins the river |
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| Looking back up the river and trail |
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| Clear water reveals the river bottom |
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| Moss covers an old log |
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| Remains of several cabins can be found along the trail |
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| West Prong Little Pigeon River from the trail bridge |
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| Looking upstream at the trail bridge |
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| Moss covered rocks line the riverbank |
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| Ripples belie the current in another deep pool |
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| More whitewater as we approach Gatlinburg |
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| Flowing water continues to round the edges of the rocks |
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| A crooked tree frames more whitewater |
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| The only bench along the trail faces the road instead of the river |
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| A downed tree spans the river |
Entry to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is free.
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm.
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