Parking
Use the Kephart Prong Trailhead pull-offs on both sides of Newfound Gap Road (US 441). Follow Kephart Prong Trail about 2 miles to Kephart Shelter, where Sweat Heifer begins.
Overview
About Sweat Heifer Creek Trail
Why go
- Several cascades along the creek
- Connects Kephart Prong with the Appalachian Trail
Heads up
- Steep ascent and rocky footing
- Two-mile approach from US 441 before the named trail begins
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Smoky Mountains map
Full mapElevation3,642–5,833 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 Sweat Heifer Creek 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
Kanati Fork Trailhead and Quiet Walkway0:00 / 0:29
“Kanati Fork trailhead is ahead, a stop to consider for spring wildflowers, especially in April. Trilliums and trout lilies grow along the lower miles, so you can turn back before committing to the full climb.”
Plays on the road 1.6 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Gliding Through the Dark
- Kephart Prong Trailhead
- A Stone Case That Walks
- Charles A. Webb Overlook
- 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 Sweat Heifer Creek Trail
A steep connector, not a loopSweat Heifer Creek Trail is a 3.
Sweat Heifer Creek Trail is a 3.6-mile, one-way point-to-point route from Kephart Shelter to its Appalachian Trail junction. Expect a steep climb of roughly 2,200 feet; allow about 3–4 hours for this segment. From the road, add about 2 miles each way on Kephart Prong Trail to reach Kephart Shelter. Walking the whole connector out and back to the road comes to about 11.2 miles.
Cascades along the climbAt the shelter, take Sweat Heifer left and cross Kephart Prong by bridge.
At the shelter, take Sweat Heifer left and cross Kephart Prong by bridge. Another footbridge spans a side stream before the path climbs around a ridge and into the creek drainage. Several small cascades spill across and below the trail; the lower drops are the most scenic. This is a creekside walk more than a summit hike, with native tread that is rocky in places and a steady ascent.
Choose your versionA 7.
A 7.4-mile round trip from Kephart Prong Trailhead on US 441 turns around at Sweat Heifer Cascades, partway along the named trail. A separate 8.3-mile shuttle traverse from Newfound Gap follows the Appalachian Trail to Sweat Heifer, then continues via Kephart Prong to the US 441 trailhead. To reach the base of the lower cascades, you have to leave the maintained tread over slick rocks and rough banks; skip that scramble when footing is wet. Pets are not allowed. The creek's name is said to recall farmers driving cattle up for summer grazing.
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.
