Parking
Use the Big Creek Trailhead parking by Big Creek Campground. The Swallow Fork junction is about 5.1 miles up Big Creek Trail; the far end joins ridge routes rather than a road.
Overview
About Swallow Fork Trail
Why go
- Links Big Creek with the high ridge trail network
- Late openings offer views toward Mount Guyot
Heads up
- About 2,200 feet of climbing over a four-mile one-way route
- The remote approach and point-to-point finish need careful planning
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Smoky Mountains map
Full mapElevation3,031–5,217 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 Swallow Fork 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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- Cosby Picnic Area and Hen Wallow Falls
- Big Creek and Mouse Creek Falls
- Mount Sterling Gap Trailhead
- A Nest for Another Year
- 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 Swallow Fork Trail
Route and commitmentSwallow Fork Trail is a 3.
Swallow Fork Trail is a 3.9-mile one-way connector from the Big Creek Trail near campsite 37 to the Benton MacKaye and Mount Sterling Ridge route. It is not a loop. The Swallow Fork leg gains about 2,200 feet toward the ridge; allow around four hours for this section. From Big Creek Campground, the junction is about 5.1 miles up Big Creek Trail, so that approach and your onward route add substantial distance.
A forested climbNative tread climbs through a mostly wooded valley and crosses Swallow Fork and McGinty Creek.
Native tread climbs through a mostly wooded valley and crosses Swallow Fork and McGinty Creek. Trail descriptions report around four stream crossings, some without bridges, so footing depends on water levels. Openings after about mile three give occasional views toward Mount Guyot, but much of the route stays under trees. Spring brings wildflowers along the forest floor.
Plan the through-routeThis is a remote connector, not a roadside day-hike loop.
This is a remote connector, not a roadside day-hike loop. Its Big Creek end is a backcountry junction, and the far end joins the ridge trail network; plan your route back or onward before setting out. The five-mile Big Creek approach is separate from the mileage above. Pets are not permitted on this trail.
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.
