Welcome to Travel Tuesday! Have you ever been to Great Smoky Mountains National Park? It’s been on my list for a while and I finally got to visit! :]
Laurel Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Distance: 2.4 miles (out + back)
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 403 feet
Trailhead Address: 35.6719, -83.58062
In contrast to Cataract Falls, which is somewhat/fairly known, Laurel Falls is one of the most popular areas in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As such, parking can be somewhat of a pain, but if you’re able to come on a weekday, it’s definitely worth it! We came on a weekday in the late afternoon so it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been!
The trail is mostly paved and is the longest of the 4 paved trails in the park, but there are some parts that have gotten pretty uneven and the grade overall is definitely not flat, so this would not be a good pick for those with strollers/wheelchairs.
The trail is named after the mountain laurel, an evergreen shrub that grows along the trail! It was originally built so that fire crews could access the Cove Mountain area.
Please refrain from climbing on the rocks around the waterfall here too — people have seriously injured themselves and some have fallen to their deaths in attempts to do so! (The rocks get pretty slippery given that there’s a waterfall here.)
Bikes and pets aren’t allowed on this trail, so I wouldn’t recommend bringing your fluff here! The only two pet-friendly trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are the Gatlinburg Trail (Tennessee) and the Oconaluftee River Trail (North Carolina).
- What’s the last hike you went on?
- What do you like to see most when you’re on a hike?
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Oh wow, this is gorgeous! Scary that people would climb the wet rocks though!
Lauren
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Forreal! Definitely did not seem like a safe idea — it was really pretty there though! :]
The Smoky Mountains are on our list to check out one day so I’ll definitely keep Laurel Falls in mind for that adventure! Thanks for the info and the waterfall safety heads up! The trail looks beautiful.
Yay! I hope you get to go sometime — it’s such a gorgeous national park!
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