Picnic area · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Creekside shade, charcoal grills, and waterfall walks in one stop.
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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
Deep Creek Waterfalls and Picnic Area“You're coming up on Deep Creek, where waterfall walks and a creekside picnic can fill a relaxed afternoon.”
Plays as you drive up to Deep Creek Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
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Guide
Deep Creek Picnic Area is a 58-site day-use picnic area along Deep Creek on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains. The sites sit in a forest of deciduous and evergreen trees, and many are beside the water. Each has a table, charcoal grill and generally level gravel pad. I’d use it for a relaxed meal before or after the nearby waterfall walks rather than make a special trip just for the picnic tables. It’s about three miles from downtown Bryson City.
The covered pavilion has 15 tables for groups up to 70, with four charcoal grills outside and no electricity. It can be reserved; drop in only when it isn’t booked. A park parking tag is required if you stay longer than 15 minutes, even with a pavilion reservation. The area is open year-round from sunrise to sunset. Restrooms and potable water at them are seasonal, usually mid-April through late October; there’s no potable water at the pavilion.
Juney Whank Falls is a separate 0.8-mile round-trip walk from the end of Deep Creek Road. Its upper and lower sections drop 90 feet together, and both are visible from the footbridge. Tom Branch and Indian Creek Falls are also nearby if you want to turn lunch into a longer wander.
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
ChallengingLonesome Pine Overlook Trail6.8 mi · 4 hr · 0.1 mi awayA steep ridge climb to a rocky overlook above Bryson City.
ChallengingNoland Divide Trail11.5 mi · 7 hr · 0.1 mi awayA long ridge traverse from Deep Creek to Kuwohi Road.
EasyJuney Whank Falls Trail0.6 mi · 30 min · 0.3 mi awayA short loop reaches an 80-foot cascade and crosses its wooden footbridge.
EasyTom Branch Falls Trail0.5 mi · 1 hr · 0.4 mi awayA very short creekside walk to a tiered waterfall across the water.
ModerateDeep Creek Waterfalls Loop2.4 mi · 2 hr · 0.4 mi awayThree waterfalls in one short loop, with one steep opening climbModerateDeep Creek Loop Trail4.6 mi · 3 hr · 0.4 mi awayA creekside loop links two falls with a steady half-mile climb.
ModerateIndian Creek Trail3.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 1 mi awayA 3.6-mile route climbs past Indian Creek Falls to Sunkota Ridge.
ModerateDeep Creek Horse Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 1 mi awayA wooded climb past Juney Whank Falls to Deep Creek Trail.
Campground · 0.2 mi awayDeep Creek CampgroundCreekside camping puts waterfalls and tubing within easy reach.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayJuney Whank FallsCross a footbridge for an unusually close look at both waterfall tiers.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayTom Branch FallsFront-row benches across from tiered falls, after an easy walk.Sight · 1 mi awayIndian Creek FallsA creekside walk to two falls, ending at a broad 25-foot cascade.
Scenic pullout · 3.8 mi awayFontana Lake OverlookA quick lake-and-ridge view on the Road to Nowhere.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.
