Picnic area · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Break by Big Creek before setting out on a nearby trail.
Overview
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
Big Creek and Mouse Creek Falls“You're coming up on Big Creek, where a gradual forest hike leads to Mouse Creek Falls. Allow two and a half to three hours for the four-mile round trip along an old logging railroad grade.”
Plays as you drive up to Big Creek Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
There’s parking by the picnic area, but some tables sit downhill from the lot, so bring food and supplies you can carry. Accessible sites are available, along with charcoal grills and seasonal restrooms. Bring charcoal if you plan to grill; wood fires aren’t allowed.
A footbridge crosses Big Creek, and Baxter Creek Trail starts on the far side. Mouse Creek Falls is another nearby destination. Pair a picnic with a separate trail outing if you have time to explore beyond the tables.
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
ChallengingBaxter Creek Trail12.2 mi · 9 hr · At the trailheadA steep Big Creek climb to a 1935 summit fire tower.
ModerateBig Creek Trail to Mouse Creek Falls4 mi · 2.8 hr · At the trailheadAn old railroad grade reaches an unmarked pool and 41-foot falls.
ChallengingCamel Gap Trail10.6 mi · 8.5 hr · 0.2 mi awayA long creekside approach to the Appalachian Trail at Camel Gap.
ChallengingChestnut Branch Trail2.1 mi · 2 hr · 0.6 mi awayA steep 2.1-mile climb from Big Creek to the Appalachian Trail.
ChallengingMount Sterling Trail5.4 mi · 4 hr · 3.6 mi awayA steep climb to a historic tower and wide clear-day Smokies views.
ChallengingSwallow Fork Trail3.9 mi · 4 hr · 3.7 mi awayA forest climb links Big Creek to the high ridge routes.
ModerateMount Sterling Ridge Trail5.3 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.8 mi awayA remote 5.3-mile traverse from Mount Sterling to Balsam Mountain Trail.
ChallengingGunter Fork Trail4.1 mi · 4.5 hr · 4.7 mi awayTwo cascades reward a long, steep backcountry climb.
Campground · 0.1 mi awayBig Creek CampgroundTwelve tent sites by the creek, with big hikes close at hand.
Campground · 0.3 mi awayBig Creek Horse CampA five-site creekside base for horse campers and backcountry rides.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayMidnight HoleA shaded Big Creek pool reached by a steep, rocky scramble.Sight · 1.8 mi awayMouse Creek FallsA 41-foot waterfall with Midnight Hole along the way.
Sight · 3 mi awayMount Cammerer Lookout TowerA rock summit and a 1930s fire tower reward a big climb.Sight · 3.5 mi awayMount Sterling Fire TowerA 1935 lookout atop a steep, remote Smokies summit.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.
