Sight · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
A two-tier waterfall, earned by a steep hike back out.
Overview
Baskins Creek Falls is a two-tier waterfall about 40 feet high, reached by a roughly 3-mile out-and-back hike from the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. It’s a rewarding pick if you want a waterfall walk that’s often described as quieter than the park’s best-known stops. The trail drops toward the falls, so save energy for the climb back out; hikers often find the return tougher than the mileage suggests. Bring water and leave time for the uphill walk back.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the waterfall hike for you?Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Great Smoky Mountains audio tourRecorded for this place
Baskins Creek Falls Trailhead“The Baskins Creek trailhead is ahead, for a hike to a forty-foot waterfall spilling over two rock ledges. Allow two and a half to three hours for the three point three-mile round trip.”
Plays as you drive up to Baskins Creek Falls in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
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Guide
The approach follows Baskins Creek before leaving the main trail for a steep, rocky descent over the final stretch. Around 0.9 mile in, the route crosses Falls Branch without a footbridge; after heavy rain, that crossing can be difficult. Take your time where the path drops to the water, especially when the rocks are wet.
The trailhead is along the seasonal, one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail near Gatlinburg. That road is steep and has restrictions for RVs, vans over 25 feet, and vehicles towing trailers. Parking by the trailhead is limited, so check the park’s current road access before making this your plan.
The falls spill over two rock ledges into a wooded pool, with the upper drop feeding the lower cascade. For a photo, step back enough to include both drops and some of the rock walls; a tight crop of only the lower water loses the shape that makes this waterfall distinctive. Keep your footing on the established approach.
Local accounts connect “Baskins” to a hunter called Bearskin Joe, with the pronunciation changing over time. Treat that as a local tradition rather than a firmly documented origin. A signed side trail also leads toward the small Baskins Cemetery near the lower part of the route.
Wildlife
1,569 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
900 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
13 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
142 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
26 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
42 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Smoky Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyNoah “Bud” Ogle Place Nature Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 0.9 mi awayA short farmstead loop to a cabin, mill and log barn.ModerateBaskins Creek Trail to Baskins Creek Falls3.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayA waterfall walk with a steep finish and a climb back.
ChallengingMount Le Conte via Rainbow Falls Trail13 mi · 9 hr · 1.4 mi awayRainbow Falls is the first milestone on this long Le Conte climb.ChallengingRainbow Falls Trail5.6 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayClimb a boulder-lined creek valley to an 80-foot waterfall.
ModerateGrotto Falls Trail2.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA shaded 2.6-mile walk to a waterfall you can walk behind.
ChallengingBrushy Mountain via Trillium Gap Trail6.8 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA waterfall walk climbs to a heath bald with two views.
ChallengingTrillium Gap Trail to Mount Le Conte13 mi · 9 hr · 1.5 mi awayA long climb to Le Conte, with Grotto Falls along the way.
ChallengingBullhead Trail to Mount Le Conte13.6 mi · 10 hr · 1.6 mi awayA long, steep route to Le Conte with exposed ridge views.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayEphraim Bales CabinA family farm preserved down to its dog-trot breezeway.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayAlfred Reagan House and Tub MillA quick stop for a Smokies homestead and its historic tub mill.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayJim Bales PlaceThree farm buildings, including a cabin moved across the park.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayNoah Bud Ogle PlaceA rare saddlebag cabin beside a creek-powered mill.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayPlace of a Thousand DripsA roadside cascade with no approach hike.
Picnic area · 1.2 mi awayTwin Creeks Picnic PavilionA wooded group pavilion for gatherings of up to 150.Sight · 2.4 mi awayGrotto FallsWalk behind a 25-foot waterfall on a shaded stream-crossing hike.Sight · 2.5 mi awayRainbow FallsA steep Smokies climb to a waterfall named for its rainbows.Parkwolf’s Great Smoky Mountains ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
