Parking
The usual start is Big Creek Trailhead beside Big Creek Picnic Area. Parking availability is uncertain; you may need to park near the ranger station and walk about three-quarters of a mile, so confirm the current lot before going.
Overview
About Big Creek Trail to Mouse Creek Falls
Why go
- A broad, gradual grade makes the creekside climb steady and manageable.
- Midnight Hole and Mouse Creek Falls give the walk two distinct water stops.
Heads up
- Midnight Hole is unmarked, and earlier cascades can distract from it.
- Rocks beside the falls are slick, so the viewing area is the limit.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Smoky Mountains map
Full mapElevation1,735–2,288 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active Great Smoky Mountains alerts
- ClosureHurricane Helene trail damage and backcountry restrictionsHurricane Helene damage has restricted backcountry trail access; avoid damaged crossings and observe trail-specific limits.Official details
- CautionBear-related trail, campsite, and road restrictionsBear activity has closed trails, a shelter, and campsites and restricted pedestrian access on Cherokee Orchard Road; stay out of closed areas and follow vehicle-only rules.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide
Your drive to Big Creek Trail to Mouse Creek Falls, narrated.
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 trailhead
Big Creek and Mouse Creek Falls0:00 / 0:24
“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 this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Bird That Spirals Up
- Wood Built to Last
- How a Leaf Changes Color
- A Father Under the Rock
- 200 audio storiesacross Great Smoky Mountains’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Elk, Bald Eagle, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 197 trails, 137 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Big Creek Trail to Mouse Creek Falls
A gradual creekside out-and-backBig Creek Trail to Mouse Creek Falls is a 4-mile out-and-back, about two miles each way from…
Big Creek Trail to Mouse Creek Falls is a 4-mile out-and-back, about two miles each way from Big Creek Trailhead. The route follows a former railroad grade through forest, climbs gradually, reaches Big Creek, and ends at a 41-foot waterfall. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours. It is a good choice for an unhurried creek walk with two distinct water stops; the path is relatively even, but the full distance adds up.
The walk beside Big CreekThe first stretch rises above the campground and away from the water. Around 1.
The first stretch rises above the campground and away from the water. Around 1.3 miles in, the trail reaches Big Creek and stays beside or within earshot of it. Rhododendron and wildflowers line the creekside section. The grade is broad and comparatively smooth, with a steady climb rather than a sharp ascent.
Midnight Hole is easy to missAt about 1.
At about 1.5 miles, look for Midnight Hole, an unmarked deep pool beneath a small cascade between two large boulders. Smaller cascades appear before it and can look like the destination, so keep going until you find the dark pool. The falls are about another half-mile beyond Midnight Hole.
Reaching Mouse Creek FallsA hitching post marks the short side path near the falls, just beyond the two-mile point.
A hitching post marks the short side path near the falls, just beyond the two-mile point. Mouse Creek Falls drops about 41 feet into Big Creek, with a log bench nearby. The rocks are slick from mist and algae; stay on the viewing area and do not climb. For a photo, keep some of the creek in the frame so the cascade has a sense of scale.
A logging grade through the forestThis route follows a railroad grade built by Crestmont Lumber Company in the early 1900s to…
This route follows a railroad grade built by Crestmont Lumber Company in the early 1900s to haul timber. The Civilian Conservation Corps improved it for hiking in the early 1930s. Big Creek was once a logging town; the forest has reclaimed the old work site.
Starting at Big CreekBig Creek Picnic Area is the usual access beside the trailhead.
Big Creek Picnic Area is the usual access beside the trailhead. It has ten picnic sites and seasonal restrooms and is open seasonally, from mid-April through late October, sunrise to sunset. Big Creek Campground is a separate nearby facility with tent sites, flush toilets, and drinking water in season. Pets are not allowed on this trail.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Great Smoky Mountains
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.
