Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN · NC
A quiet woodland link between Tow String Horse Camp and Bradley Fork.
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 area
The Miller Who Came Back“One of Mingus Mill's original builders lived long enough to help restore it for the national park. His name was Aden Carver.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from the 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
Tow String Horse Trail is a 2.23-mile one-way path from Tow String Horse Camp on Tow String Road to Bradley Fork Trail near Smokemont. The National Park Service inventories it for hikers and horses on native ground. Allow about 1¼ hours one way; expect woods and rolling rises rather than a destination overlook. It is not a loop: walking back makes an approximately 4.5-mile outing and about 2½ hours before stops. Longer published mileages describe longer or unclear itineraries; this entry follows the connected, mapped corridor only.
Start at the south end by Tow String Horse Camp and finish where the corridor meets Bradley Fork Trail. Arrange a pickup at the north end or retrace the route to your vehicle. Extra walking along Bradley Fork or through Smokemont is outside this distance, so check the current park map before combining trails.
From Cherokee, follow U.S. 441 about four miles north and turn onto Tow String Road at the horse-camp sign. Tow String Horse Camp is seasonal and reservable; a horse is required to reserve a site. The park does not clearly say whether non-campers may park there, so confirm day-hike parking first. The natural tread is shared with horses, and the camp has no drinking water. Dogs are not permitted on this trail.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ChallengingNewton Bald Trail11 mi · 6.5 hr · 0.8 mi awayA steady forest climb to a wooded bald with few views.
ModerateSmokemont Loop Trail6.1 mi · 4 hr · 1.1 mi awayCreekside approach, steep ridge climb, and Smokemont history.
ModerateSmokemont Nature Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 1.2 mi awayA short campground loop with creek crossings and a ridge view.
ChallengingDry Sluice Gap Trail16.4 mi · 10.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA long Smokemont climb to the Appalachian Trail, then back.
ModerateCabin Flats Trail9.9 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA 10-mile creekside walk ends at a Smokies backcountry camp.
ModerateChasteen Creek Trail to Cascade3.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA streamside walk ends at a modest cascade over smooth bedrock.
ChallengingBradley Fork Trail14.6 mi · 9.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA long creekside walk ends in a rocky climb to Hughes Ridge.
ModerateMingus Creek Trail5.8 mi · 4 hr · 1.7 mi awayAn old creek roadbed ends in a steep climb to Deeplow Gap.
Sight · 0.7 mi awaySmokemont Riding StablesCross a river on horseback, or ride the Old Turnpike by wagon.
Sight · 0.8 mi awaySmokemont Baptist ChurchA hilltop church preserves Smokemont’s community story.
Campground · 1.3 mi awaySmokemont CampgroundA wooded Smokies campground on the site of a logging town.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayMingus MillAn 1886 turbine mill with its flume beside Mingus Creek.
Visitor center · 2.2 mi awayOconaluftee Visitor CenterHistory indoors, elk country and an easy river walk outside.
Sight · 2.2 mi awayMountain Farm MuseumA short walk through farm buildings gathered from across the Smokies.
Picnic area · 2.7 mi awayCollins Creek Picnic AreaA shady picnic break with a short creekside walk
Sight · 3.1 mi awayChasteen Creek CascadeA 15-foot, quartz-streaked cascade beyond a wooded creek walk.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.
