We hiked the Oconaluftee River Trail again in late October 2016. While we met several other visitors along the trail, we had plenty of time to ourselves to stroll along the wide path and watch the river. With only about a 1% grade, the 1½ mile trail is relatively flat. This provides a nice three mile out-and-back hike. We've hiked this trail before in autumn 2012 here and early spring 2016 here.
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| Oconaluftee Visitor Center |
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| Beside the Mountain Farm Museum |
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| The trail follows the high ground along the riverbank |
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| Bridge over an unnamed stream |
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| Gravel bank on the far side of the river |
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| Below an unnamed island |
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| The Oconaluftee River flows under the Blue Ridge Parkway |
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| Leaves on the wide trail in open forest |
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| Another view of the river |
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| Passing through a rhododendron thicket |
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| Looking upstream |
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| Looking back at the end of the trail in Cherokee |
Entry to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is free.
The park website is https://www.nps.gov/grsm.
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