Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN · NC
A creekside roadbed to Schoolhouse Gap, with spring wildflowers.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
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 trailhead
Schoolhouse Gap Trailhead“Up ahead is Schoolhouse Gap trailhead, my pick here for a mostly gentle forest walk beside Spence Branch.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Schoolhouse Gap Trail is a 4.4-mile out-and-back from Laurel Creek Road to Schoolhouse Gap and back, following a wide, mostly gently graded former roadbed beside Spence Branch. It has about 503 feet of climbing; allow 1.5 to 2 hours for an easy forest walk known for spring wildflowers and birding. Expect a creekside stroll rather than a summit or waterfall hike.
At about 1.1 miles one way, Dosey Gap meets Turkeypen Ridge Trail beside a marshy birding area; continue straight toward Schoolhouse Gap. The trail meets Chestnut Top Trail around mile 2, then reaches the gap about 0.2 mile beyond. Turning back at Chestnut Top makes a shorter walk of roughly 3.8 miles round trip. An unmarked branch toward White Oaks Sinks is a separate side trip, not part of this route.
The path follows part of Dr. Isaac Anderson’s proposed 1840s road between East Tennessee and Hazel Creek. The road was never completed, but the broad, gently graded former roadbed still gives the walk its character. Horses also use the trail.
Spring is the best season for flowers along the lower route. Local trail observations name Virginia bluebells, Catesby’s trillium, and pink lady’s-slippers; the wet opening near Dosey Gap is a good place to pause for birds.
Start at the parking area on the north side of Laurel Creek Road, 3.9 miles past Townsend Wye toward Cades Cove. Parking is tight: the park lists three standard vehicle spaces and five horse-trailer spaces, and requires a parking tag for stays longer than 15 minutes. The nearest restroom is at Cades Cove Picnic Area, not at the trailhead. Pets are prohibited on this trail, though horses are allowed.
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
ChallengingBote Mountain Trail13.7 mi · 8 hr · 0.1 mi awayA rocky 13.7-mile out-and-back to Spence Field’s high meadow.
ModerateFinley Cane, Bote Mountain and Lead Cove Loop6.9 mi · 4 hr · 1.8 mi awayA rhododendron tunnel leads to a rocky ridge with valley views.
ChallengingSpence Field via Lead Cove Trail9.5 mi · 7 hr · 1.8 mi awayA steep, all-day climb to a historic meadow on the AT
ModerateTurkeypen Ridge Trail3.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayA ridge walk through old cove fields and cool, moist hollows.
ModerateWest Prong Trail5.4 mi · 3.3 hr · 2.2 mi awayA steady forest climb to a riverside backcountry campsite.
ModerateSpruce Flats Falls Trail1.8 mi · 2 hr · 2.3 mi awayA short Smokies waterfall hike with a steep, rocky finish
ModerateLumber Ridge Trail8.3 mi · 5 hr · 2.3 mi awayA steady forest climb to a backcountry junction and back.
ModerateScott Mountain Trail3.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayRhododendron, a spring crossing, and old forest on a ridge connector.
Visitor center · 2.3 mi awayTremont Visitor CenterA practical hike-planning stop with Smokies books and field guides.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayTownsend WyeRocky Little River access just beyond Townsend's park entrance.Sight · 2.6 mi awaySpruce Flats FallsFour tiers of falls make this steep Tremont walk worth the effort.
Campground · 2.9 mi awayAnthony Creek Horse CampThree reserved horse campsites with trail access near Cades Cove.
Picnic area · 2.9 mi awayCades Cove Picnic AreaCreekside lunch tables and charcoal grills at the loop entrance.
Campground · 3.2 mi awayCades Cove CampgroundA woodland base for the cove's historic loop and wildlife.
Store · 3.2 mi awayCades Cove Campground StoreBike rentals, camp supplies and soft-serve before the loop.
Sight · 3.3 mi awayCades Cove Riding StablesA horse, carriage or hayride gives the cove a different pace.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.
