Spruce Flats Falls - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Spruce Flats Falls has been one of my favorite places in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a long time. However, my visit in May 2018 has me questioning whether it will remain a favorite. On this visit, I found a large family group camped out at the falls with ice chests and hammocks. If you've read any of my previous posts about this hike, you'll recall that it is less than a mile round trip. In just twenty minutes, they could be tailgating back in the parking lot. While the parking lot isn't as scenic, it is beside the picturesque Middle Prong Little River. I had to closely crop my pictures to eliminate the extraneous bits, but I wasn't entirely successful.

Trailhead

Gravel service road

Sidewalk next to the service road with Tremont Institute building beyond

This is the way...

First switchback

Well signed

Buckeye Trail above the institute

Lots of tripping opportunities

A bit of direct light reaches the ground

The trail turns left here

Front of the sign seen above

Rocks seem to grow along the trail

Please use the stairs and not the side path

More tripping hazards approaching the water tower switchback

The final switchback and sign

View from above the water tower

More direct sunlight

Mountain laurel blooms (Kalmia latifolia)

Trail crosses a small drainage

There's a trail through here somewhere

A nice section of trail

Trail summit on a spur of Mill Ridge

Sams Ridge

Sidehill trail

Around a boulder

Rattlesnake hawkweed (Hieracium venosum)

Erosion along the trail

Log stair bridge

Upper section of the falls

Both portions of the falls
(Note the hammock suspended between the trees on the right)

Lower section of the falls

There is no entry fee at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The park website is https://nps.gov/grsm.