Laurel Falls Trail - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The hike to Laurel Falls is one of the most popular in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trailhead is located 3.5 miles from Sugarlands Visitor Center and 13.7 miles from the Townsend Wye at Fighting Creek Gap. The road between Sugarlands and the Townsend Wye is designated by the US Geological Survey as Fighting Creek Gap Road between Sugarlands and Elkmont and then labeled as Little River Gorge Road between Elkmont and the Townsend Wye. The National Park Service lists the entire route as Little River Road. Parking areas on both sides of the road are marked for a total of 29 vehicles. These spaces fill up quickly, especially on weekends and during the summer season.

The 2.6 mile round-trip trail to the waterfall is paved, but it is not suitable for mobility devices, wheelchairs or most strollers due to what the park service calls "rough and uneven" pavement. In addition, the trail climbs over 300 feet from the trailhead to the falls. This is the longest of only four paved trails in the park. The others are Clingmans Dome (½ mile), Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail (½ mile), and Look Rock Tower Trail (1 mile). Thus, only about 3.3 miles of the 800 trail miles in the Smokies are paved.

The waterfall is about 80 feet high in two tiers with the trail normally passing over Laurel Branch between the upper and lower tiers on a concrete path over several culverts. Since I hiked the trail in early December 2015, after several days of heavy rains, the branch flowed over the trail as well as under it. Even though I hiked during the week in late fall, I met about two dozen people on the trail.

Trailhead

Trail passes rhododendron

Once the foilage is gone, the turns and climbs of the trail are more visible

A view back down the trail

This tree seems to grow out of the rock

Pine Knot Branch was flowing under and across the trail

Blanket Mountain (4609')

Clouds covering the mountain peaks

The trail traverses a steep side slope

Roots in rocks

Another view of Blanket Mountain

Water on the trail...

...from this seep or wet weather spring

Laurel Branch

The trail follows a rock ledge as it approaches the falls

Lower tier of the falls

Water pours over the bridge at the base of the upper tier

The lip of the lower tier

Another view of the lower tier

Lower tier crashing on the rocks

Laurel Branch at the base of the falls

Downed trees wedged in the creekbed

Entry to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is free.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm.