#11 of 104 sights in Great Smoky Mountains
Sight · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
A two-tier waterfall rewards a popular 2.6-mile forest walk.
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
Laurel Falls Trailhead“You're coming up on the Laurel Falls trailhead, where a forest hike leads to an eighty-foot waterfall in two tiers.”
Plays as you drive up to Laurel Falls 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
Laurel Falls is an 80-foot, two-tier waterfall in a forested hollow on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The 2.6-mile round-trip walk is one of the Smokies’ best-known waterfall hikes, and the falls draw more than 300,000 visitors a year. Choose it for a real walk with a clear payoff; it isn’t a quick roadside stop, and a quiet visit is unlikely.
The usual route starts on Little River Road, about three miles west of Sugarlands Visitor Center. It climbs through mixed hardwood forest and dense mountain laurel and rhododendron, with a mountain view from an opening partway up. There’s a sustained uphill stretch, so plan for a hike rather than a stroll.
Two tiers of rocky ledges carry the water down 80 feet. A bridge and viewing area bring you close to the cascades. For a photo that shows the whole shape, include both tiers and the rock shelves in a wide frame.
The trailhead lots often fill, so consider a shuttle if one fits your plans. The nearest restroom listed for the hike is at Sugarlands Visitor Center. Dogs aren’t allowed on Laurel Falls Trail, and a parking tag is required when you park in the park for more than 15 minutes.
The asphalt approach was first paved in 1963. Its old surface eventually developed cracked, uneven and missing sections that needed frequent repairs.
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
EasyLaurel Falls Quiet Walkway0.4 mi · 18 min · 0.7 mi awayA short dirt loop follows Laurel Branch through quiet forest
ModerateLaurel Falls Trail2.6 mi · 2 hr · 0.8 mi awayA rough paved climb leads to an 80-foot Smokies waterfall.
ChallengingSugarland Mountain Trail11.9 mi · 8 hr · 0.8 mi awayA long ridge walk with a winter view toward Gatlinburg.
EasyElkmont Nature Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · 1.5 mi awayA short, easy loop with two bridges over Mids Branch.
ModerateLittle River Trail12.4 mi · 7 hr · 1.8 mi awayFollow the old rail grade beside the river to Campsite 30.
ModerateLittle River, Cucumber Gap, Jakes Creek Loop5.5 mi · 3 hr · 1.8 mi awayRiver views, wildflowers, and Elkmont history on a varied loop.
ChallengingGoshen Prong Trail11.2 mi · 9 hr · 1.8 mi awayOld logging grades lead from creekside Elkmont to a rocky AT finish.
ChallengingJakes Creek Trail7.2 mi · 6 hr · 1.9 mi awayA long climb from Elkmont’s old cottages to Jakes Gap.
Scenic pullout · 1.1 mi awayMaloney PointA quick Little River Road stop for layered ridges and spring trillium.
Campground · 1.5 mi awayElkmont CampgroundWooded camping, creekside sites, and a road on an old rail bed
Sight · 1.7 mi awayAppalachian ClubhouseA restored clubhouse from Elkmont’s cabin-era summer community.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayDaisy TownA preserved summer settlement, with cabins you can explore inside.
Sight · 1.8 mi awaySpence CabinA restored 1928 cabin from Elkmont’s resort summers.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayWalker Sisters PlaceA family farm where five Walker sisters kept their home.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayLittle Greenbrier SchoolhouseA little log school with a big role in Smokies life.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayJohn Ownby CabinA short wooded walk to Sugarlands' last standing home.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.
