Hiking in the Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains offer hikers more than 850 miles of scenic mountain trails. Smoky Mountain trails are available for everything from a short walk to a long backpacking trip. Below are a few of the area's popular trails.
Abrams Falls Trail
(5 mile round trip - Easy)
A wide trail that climbs 2 ridges and follows Abrams Creek to the 20 ft high Abrams Falls which spill into a large pool that is great for swimming or wading. Alum Cave Trail
(4.4 mile round trip - Moderate)
Scenic high points of the trail include Arch Rock, a natural arch, Inspiration Point (a magnificent view of the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River's upper basin), and the scenic Alum Cave Bluff.
Andrews Bald
(3.6 mile round trip - Moderate)
Trail leads downslope to Andrews bald which offers scenic mountain views.
Charlie's Bunion
(8 mile round trip - Strenuous)
The trail is rated strenuous, but hikers making the journey along this part of the Appalachian Trail to the 1,000 ft high rocky crags along the state-line ridge will find panoramic mountain views.
Boulevard Trail
(16 mile round trip - Moderate to Strenuous)
Said by some to be the easiest of the five trails to Mount LeConte's summit. The trail is well-maintained offers a gradual, steady climb to the summit .
Chimney Tops Trail
(4 mile round trip - Strenuous)
The trail crosses bridges over a cascading mountain stream and through virgin forest to the Chimney Tops, a rocky outcropping at the summit. The first mile is relatively easy compared to the last mile which gets extremely challenging, but the spectacular 360 degrees views from the Tops make this journey worthwhile.
Indian Creek Falls Trail
(2 mile round trip - Easy)
A relatively flat trail to the scenic Indian Creek Falls.
Laurel Falls Trail
(2.5 mile round trip - Easy)
The easiest and most popular waterfall trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Laurel Falls Trail is a relatively flat paved trail through a beautiful mountain forest.
Ramsay Cascades Trail
(8 mile round trip - Strenuous)
The hike to Ramsey Cascades, the park's highest waterfall, winds through an old growth forest. The waterfall is a spectacular, scenic 100 ft drop over a series of outcroppings.
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