Parking
Smokemont Campground has 18 day-use parking spots. The trailhead is directly across from campsite B31; do not park in campsites. A parking tag is required when parked more than 15 minutes.
Overview
About Smokemont Nature Trail
Why go
- Two foot-log bridges and a ridge view on a sub-mile loop.
- Picnic areas and day-use parking are close to the trailhead.
Heads up
- Narrow bridges, roots, rocks and short steep sections interrupt the easy mileage.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Smoky Mountains map
Full mapElevation2,267–2,480 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 Smokemont Nature 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 trailhead
Smokemont and Chasteen Creek Cascade0:00 / 0:28
“You're nearing Smokemont, the starting point for the walk to Chasteen Creek Cascade. The creek slides over quartz-streaked sandstone in a broad, fifteen-foot cascade, a modest waterfall after a wooded creek walk.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Smokemont Baptist Church
- Smokemont Riding Stables
- Reading the White Blazes
- Collins Creek Picnic Area
- 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 Smokemont Nature Trail
A short campground loopSmokemont Nature Trail is a 0.
Smokemont Nature Trail is a 0.62-mile loop hike that starts across from campsite B31 in Smokemont Campground. It’s a good short walk if you’re camping nearby or want a break from the drive; I wouldn’t make a long detour for the sub-mile route alone. The route gains 168 feet. Allow about 30 to 60 minutes so you have time for the bridges and ridge.
Follow Bradley ForkFrom the trailhead, cross two small foot-log bridges over Bradley Fork, then take the right…
From the trailhead, cross two small foot-log bridges over Bradley Fork, then take the right turn marked by an arrow to begin the loop. The path follows the creek upstream before climbing gently to the ridge. It curves around the mountain’s west side and descends back to the creek; the short approach is walked back across the same bridges to finish.
Expect occasional roots and rocks and a few steeper sections despite the short distance. The bridges are narrow, though they have handrails. At the ridge, views open east and northeast toward the surrounding peaks. Look for wildflowers and listen for birdsong along the walk.
BradleytownThe Smokemont area was once known as Bradleytown.
The Smokemont area was once known as Bradleytown. In the early 1900s it was a logging settlement tied to Champion Fibre Company, with barracks, stores, churches and sawmills before the park was established.
Before you goThere are 18 day-use parking spots at Smokemont Campground; don’t park in campsites.
There are 18 day-use parking spots at Smokemont Campground; don’t park in campsites. A parking tag is required if you park for more than 15 minutes, and no reservation is required for this hike. Pets aren’t allowed on the trail. Picnic areas are near the start, and the nearest restroom is in the campground.
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.
