Parking
Use Deep Creek Horse Trailer Parking and follow Noland Divide Trail about 0.1 mile to the Horse Trail junction. A parking tag is required for a stay over 15 minutes; it does not reserve a space.
Overview
About Deep Creek Horse Trail
Why go
- Juney Whank Falls is a close, worthwhile side visit
- Wooded ridge route links Noland Divide with Deep Creek Trail
Heads up
- Point-to-point; retracing makes about a 3.6-mile walk
- Falls and creek junctions can lead onto a different loop
The footbridge gives a close view of Juney Whank Falls. If you stop for a photo, include part of the bridge and branch for scale. The waterfall is the route's clearest payoff; the rest is a forested ridge walk.
Parkwolf’s verdictA worthwhile side visitMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Smoky Mountains map
Full mapElevation1,830–2,208 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active Great Smoky Mountains alerts
- ClosureHurricane Helene backcountry trail closures and hazardsHurricane Helene damage has closed backcountry trails and left hazardous crossings; avoid closed routes and heed trail-specific restrictions.Official details
- CautionBear-related trail, road, shelter, and campsite restrictionsBear activity has closed trails, a shelter, and campsites and restricted pedestrian access on Cherokee Orchard Road; follow the vehicle restrictions and avoid closed areas.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide
Your drive to Deep Creek Horse Trail, 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 area
Deep Creek Waterfalls and Picnic Area0:00 / 0:34
“You're coming up on Deep Creek, where waterfall walks and a creekside picnic can fill a relaxed afternoon.”
Plays on the road 0.7 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Boulders from a Colder Smokies
- Flowers Across the Lake
- Fontana's Wartime Power
- Room for the Next Rain
- 188 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, 100 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 Deep Creek Horse Trail
The route in a nutshellDeep Creek Horse Trail is an approximately 1.
Deep Creek Horse Trail is an approximately 1.8-mile, one-way point-to-point route from the Noland Divide side to Deep Creek Trail. It follows a wooded ridge, reaches the Juney Whank Falls connection, then bends above the falls and descends to Deep Creek. The mapped line measures about 1.78 miles; the park inventory breaks the route into disconnected segments, so treat the distance as approximate. Allow about 1½ hours one way. Retracing the Horse Trail makes about 3.6 miles. The nearby Three Waterfalls Loop is a separate hike that uses only part of it.
The climb and the falls junctionThe route climbs toward the Juney Whank Falls connection, where the Horse Trail and falls path…
The route climbs toward the Juney Whank Falls connection, where the Horse Trail and falls path share a short stretch. The falls spur descends by steps to a footbridge over Juney Whank Branch; the Horse Trail continues around the falls and later reaches Deep Creek Trail. A small stream runs through the wooded valley, and most of the walk stays on natural ground rather than opening onto overlooks.
Start and returnBegin at the Noland Divide connection, about a tenth of a mile from Deep Creek Horse Trailer…
Begin at the Noland Divide connection, about a tenth of a mile from Deep Creek Horse Trailer Parking. This is a point-to-point trail: arrange a pickup, follow a deliberate connecting route, or retrace it. Hikers and horses share the trail; dogs are not allowed. A parking tag is required if you leave a vehicle for more than 15 minutes. A seasonal restroom is available at nearby Deep Creek Campground.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Great Smoky Mountains
1,566 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
899 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.
