Parking
The north/Gatlinburg entrance has a tiny roadside pull-off on Cherokee Orchard Road, not a full trail lot. Parking is very limited; use marked spaces only.
Overview
About Twin Creeks Trail
Why go
- Shaded creekside walking with several stream crossings
- Historic features near the south end
Heads up
- Few open views and some nearby road noise
- Small parking pull-off and at least one unbridged crossing
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Smoky Mountains map
Full mapElevation1,637–2,316 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active Great Smoky Mountains alerts
- CautionBear-related trail, campsite, and road restrictionsMentions this trailBear 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
- ClosureHurricane Helene trail damage and backcountry restrictionsHurricane Helene damage has restricted backcountry trail access; avoid damaged crossings and observe trail-specific limits.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide
Your drive to Twin Creeks 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
A Retreat Powered by Water0:00 / 0:34
“In the Twin Creeks area, mountain streams helped shape a wealthy businessman's retreat. In nineteen twenty-eight, Louis Voorheis of Cincinnati bought land off Cherokee Orchard Road, wanting an escape from city crowds.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Taking Attendance in the Smokies
- The Cicada's Sound Panels
- Eyes Above and Below
- Gatlinburg Scenic 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 Twin Creeks Trail
A shaded out-and-backTwin Creeks is a wooded natural-surface trail from the north end of Cherokee Orchard Road…
Twin Creeks is a wooded natural-surface trail from the north end of Cherokee Orchard Road toward the Voorheis/Ogle historic area. The NPS-mapped tread is about 1.87 miles each way, so the same-route return makes a 3.75-mile outing with roughly 700 feet of climbing and about two to two and a half hours on foot. It suits a quiet creek walk and nearby history better than a big-view hike. Some longer trip totals include extra access or a neighboring historic loop; this distance follows the named Twin Creeks line alone.
Creeks, woods and road soundsThe path stays under trees and crosses several small streams.
The path stays under trees and crosses several small streams. Some crossings have bridges, but at least one is reported unbridged; expect to find your footing on rock or a log, and take extra care when water is up or the stones are slick. Cherokee Orchard Road remains close enough for traffic noise, and the route offers few open views. After rain, the natural tread and crossings can be muddy.
A historic landscape at the far endNear the south end, the trail reaches the Voorheis/Ogle historic area. Louis E.
Near the south end, the trail reaches the Voorheis/Ogle historic area. Louis E. Voorheis developed the neighboring 38-acre retreat between 1928 and 1944, with a landscape shaped around creeks and water-powered features. The stone springhouse known as House of the Fairies belongs to that story. Noah “Bud” Ogle’s cabin and barn are nearby; the Ogle Place Nature Trail is a separate loop, so its mileage is not included here.
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.
