Rocky Top

Rocky Top--not the song, but the place.

I’d venture to say that just about everyone in Tennessee is familiar with “Rocky Top”, that country/bluegrass tune recorded by the Osborne Brothers sometime in the late 1960s.  Somehow, “Rocky Top” made its way into becoming one of the state songs in Tennessee and the marching bands of the University of Tennessee have filled, not only Neyland Stadium, but all of East Tennessee with the rousing chords of “Rocky Top” during every football season for the past 40 years.

Contrary to popular belief, Rocky Top is not Neyland Stadium nor the University of Tennessee though you’d be hard pressed to prove that on game day.  As far as I know, the song writers of Rocky Top didn’t have a specific place in mind, but a place definitely exists.  And, wouldn’t you know--it’s in Great Smoky National Park and it’s definitely UP hill.  And, the best part of all (for me, at least) is the Appalachian Trail runs right across the top of Rocky Top.

There are several ways to get to Rocky Top.  Since Rocky Top is on the AT, it would be possible to walk there either from Springer Mountain in Georgia or Mt Katahdin in Maine.  Allow plenty of time.  Rocky Top sits high above Cades Cove on the Tennessee side and Fontana Lake on the North Carolina side of the Park.  Any of the trails leading to the AT from either of those places will get you there.  One popular route is to take Anthony Creek Trail from the back of the Cades Cove picnic area.  Many hikers opt to create a loop by adding Russell Field Trail, the AT, and Bote Mountain Trail to Anthony Creek Trail with a little side trip to Rocky Top.  Some strong hikers can do that 15-mile loop as a day hike, but most backpack and stay either at Spence Field or Russell Field shelters.  These are all fine ways to get there, but we were looking for the shortest route since it was going to be a long, hard day hike for us.

Our hike began at the Lead Cove trailhead.  This is at that same parking lot we used several times recently for Turkeypen Ridge Trail and Finley Cane Trail.  We were at the trailhead early and on the trail by 8 AM.  Not many folks were out on this cool fall morning.  Lead Cove trailhead is at 1700 feet in elevation and rises in 1.8 miles to 3000 feet where it junctions with Bote Mountain Trail.  It’s a steady climb, but since we would be climbing all the way to our destination, we soon settled into a pace we could sustain for the duration.

The trail junction sign at Bote Mountain was a welcome site and we quickly threw off our packs and had a seat on the ground for a short break.

Bote Mountain was the next hurdle--2.9 miles with nearly 2000 feet of elevation gain.  It helped me to think of this stretch in two sections. First was the 1.2 miles to the Anthony Creek Trail junction.  This section is typical of Bote Mountain Trail--the wide old roadbed.  We continued our steady climb and were at Anthony Creek junction in good time, more than ready for another short break.  Not far beyond this junction we came to a very wide spot in the trail.  This was the end of the road for tourists coming up back in the days when Bote Mountain was still open to cars.  Beyond this large turnaround, the trail narrows and begins the final 1.5 mile push to the top.  Before the establishment of the National Park, this was a primary route used by farmers to herd their cattle for summer grazing at Spence Field.  The trail is deeply eroded in this section; almost like walking in a gully.  Of course, hikers, horses, and weather have played their part, but the cattle did the most damage.

Another break was in order at the junction of Bote Mountain and the Appalachian Trail.  To the right two-tenths of a mile is Spence Field Shelter.  The shelter has been renovated as the other shelters in the Park.  It would be a nice place for lunch, but we didn’t want to add the distance to our already long hike.

Our destination is the peak in the middle, but first this
little bump straight ahead

To the left was our destination just about a mile away.  This little mile section was our favorite as far as scenery goes.  As you know, we love it at high elevation and this edge of Spence Field offered some open, grassy areas with magnificent views.  Plus, it wasn’t all up hill for a change.  From the junction with Bote Mountain the AT gently climbs 300 feet, but then quickly loses 200 of those feet before the steep 400 foot climb to the summit of Rocky Top.

As we stepped onto the summit, I had the camera out to get what photos I could before the clouds moved in.  We found a rock for lunch and enjoyed the splendor of these magnificent mountains over a cup of hot tea and a sandwich.

Thunderhead is just a short distance away, but we chose to sit on Rocky Top and rest our weary bones.

What goes up must come down.  We stayed as long as possible before packing up and starting the long journey to the car.  We were two tired puppies at the end of the day, but, oh, what an awesome hike.  We’ll savor the memories of this one for a long time.

Cades Cove far below

That’s all for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

West Prong Trail Reopened

We have finally gotten some much needed rain in East Tennessee this week.  It’s just unfortunate that the rains came on the day Doug and Cheryl wanted to take in those gorgeous mountain views.  The rain also caused us to take a little more time in selecting our hiking trail for Wednesday.  Wanted to be sure our hike had the necessary foot bridges.

Our pick turned out to be West Prong Trail.  We’d done this trail earlier in the summer, but it has been closed due to storm damage since early in July.  We noticed last week that it was open again.  The trail is in excellent condition.  There were several areas where we noticed downed trees and about three places where the damage was significant.  The blowdowns which were across the trail have all been cut and moved out of the way and the trail has been repaired.

This log is going to be a nice resting log for a long time to come.

West Prong Trail is 2.7 miles in length from the trailhead and parking lot just across the road from the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont to its junction with Bote Mountain Trail.  This is a moderate hike with a little climbing to get the old heart racing, but not so much as to make the walk unpleasant.  The trail gains about 600 feet in the first 1.25 miles then drops down 400 feet to West Prong and backcountry campsite 18.

This is a large camping area with sites on both sides of the creek.  The largest area is near the footbridge over West Prong.  It is typical of most backcountry sites with a fire ring surrounded by logs for sitting and cooking and a pulley system to hang packs well out of the reach of bears, mice, and other varmint.  However, to the left of this area and down a well trod path is another, more secluded campsite complete with fire ring and pulley system.  Across the creek and to the right is another path which leads to yet another secluded site.  It, too, has a fire ring and a single pulley.  The map indicates campsite 18 will accommodate 12.  There certainly is plenty of space here.

It was a good day for hot tea with lunch

We stopped for a short break and to take a good look around before crossing the footbridge and heading up the hill.  From the campsite, the trail gains that 400 feet it lost earlier.  It’s a steady uphill climb through rhododendron and laurel.  It would be absolutely gorgeous in early summer when these large shrubs are in bloom.

At 2.7 miles West Prong Trail ends at the junction with Bote Mountain Trail.  Going right at this junction would take us 1.2 miles to Laurel Creek Road which would be a nice 8-mile hike.  We opted to go left for just three-tenths of a mile to the junction with Finley Cane Trail.  That gave us an even 6 miles for our round-trip hike.

We were about 2000 feet on the Bote Mountain Trail.  At that elevation, we saw the beginnings of some color in the leaves.

This is a hike we’ll do often.  As with our previous treks along this trail, we enjoyed it very much.

That’s all for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Tennessee Trails Association Hike

Tennessee Trails Association (TTA) is a statewide hiking club made up of several chapters across the state.  Each chapter usually offers a variety of hikes during each month so on any given weekend there will be several hikes to choose from.  Today, two different chapters were hiking in the Smokies--East Tennessee and Upper Cumberland chapters.  We’ve been wanted to hike with the East Tennessee group since we moved here, but hadn’t yet had an opportunity.  Today was the day.

Rosie, chapter chair for East Tennessee, was our leader today.  She had a small group of only four other hikers, but I like the small groups best.  It’s easier to have a “group” conversation and I feel like I get to spend more time with each one on the hike.  The hike Rosie selected was Middle Prong.  This is certainly not a new hike for us.  I think we’ve hiked this trail three times, including today, in the past month or so.  Because the hike was easy and only 8 miles in length, we didn’t get an early start.  We met at the trailhead at 10 AM.

I’m not going to repeat the description of this hike, since I’ve already done that twice in this blog recently.  We hiked up to the Indian Flats waterfalls where we settled in on the rocks for our lunch break.  Lynn Camp Prong drops three different times in this area before finally settling in for its run toward Middle Prong and the Little River.  Where we had our lunch was between the first and second drops.  As you can see from the photo, some in our group wanted to sit right on the ledge near the second drop.  Others of us were more comfortable closer to the upper falls and away from the ledge.

Among the rocks in the shallow water, I found this large seal salamander and this little guy tucked under the rock.  Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the “salamander capital of the world”.  Five different families of salamanders can be found in the park and on any given day the salamanders will outnumber the humans in the park.

 
Gene and I have been members of TTA for many years; he longer than me.  Because we often hiked with different chapters, we knew many of the members across the state.  Since we started RVing, however, we lost contact with almost all of these folks.  We’re anxious to get back in the group again.  Today was a great start and we look forward to hiking with TTA, especially East Tennessee chapter, often.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Jakes Creek Trail

Our hike up Jakes Creek Trail began near the Elkmont Campground in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  During the time before the establishment of the National Park, there were settlements in this valley as far back as the early 1800s.  The logging companies had moved in by the early 1900s.  After the logging companies had done as much damage as they could, the area was again claimed by settlers.  A number of vacation homes are located in the vicinity of the parking lot and trailhead, but that a subject for a later post.  Today is all about our hike.

We have not hiked this trail in several years so were very surprised to find a large new parking lot.  Actually, there are two parking lots and there is a new restroom facility in the lower lot.  All of that is the good news.  The bad news is that this parking lot is about four-tenths of a mile from the trailhead.  Oh well, such is progress.  I’m grateful for the restroom.

We began our hike by skirting around the locked gate which prevented us from accessing the old parking area, and started our climb toward Jakes Gap.  The trail is wide, well graded, and graveled following first the old Jakes Creek Road then the track of the old logging railroad up Jakes Creek.  The trail is gravel for about the first mile and a half before becoming the usual dirt path which we prefer.  The trail climbs steadily (but never very steeply) for 1800 feet over its length of 3.7 miles.  It is a pleasant walk through hardwoods, rhododendron, and magnolia.  We had one stream crossing on a footbridge and a couple of easy rock hops.

At the three mile mark we came to backcountry campsite 27.  There is a huge boulder here and a very inviting place for a break.  The guidebook indicates this campsite will accommodate 8 tents and the map says 12 plus horses.  We spent a little time looking around.  To us it didn’t look large enough for 8 much less 12 and we didn’t see a hitching post for horses.  Perhaps we didn’t look carefully enough.

After our short break we continued the last seven-tenths of a mile to the top at Jakes Gap.  Jakes Gap is the intersection for three trails.  Entering the gap from Jakes Creek Trail we could go left up Miry Ridge Trail 5 more miles to the Appalachian Trail or we could go straight and head down Panther Creek Trail to Middle Prong and the Tremont area.  The Panther Creek option would have been a nice 8.5 mile hike if we’d run a shuttle and left a car at the Middle Prong trailhead.  Something to consider for another day.  What we actually did when we got to Jakes Gap was pull up a log and had lunch.

We retraced our steps to return to the car with a short side trip.  On our way up the mountain, I had noticed a side trail leading off to the right of the main trail.  Sharon was with us and she knew all about where that side trail led.  Apparently, very well hidden across the creek and back in the trees is the Avent Cabin, one of the best preserved and one of the oldest cabins in the Park.

The trail to the Avent Cabin is not on any map that we’ve ever seen and it is not mentioned in the guidebook we use.  The trail to this little well-kept secret is maintained and even has a footbridge across the creek.  Avent Cabin was originally built around the mid-1800s and was the home of Humphrey Ownby and remained in the Ownby family until 1918 when it was sold to Frank and Mayna Avent which they used as a summer cottage.  Mayna is an accomplished artist and she used this small cabin as her summer studio.  Sharon found this blog post about the cabin.  Take a look if you’re interested.  It has a much more complete story of Mayna Avent and some wonderful photos taken inside the cabin.

After exploring the cabin and the area surrounding it, we returned to the main trail and continued our trek downhill to the car.

This was a wonderful hike.  Our weather was perfect with almost a fall like feel in the air with temperatures near 50 when we started.  The hike was pleasant and having Sharon along was great.  The side trip to Avent Cabin, a place we didn’t even know existed, was icing on the cake and if Sharon hadn’t been along to tell us what was down that path we would have missed it all together. Thanks, Sharon.

That’s all for now.  Thanks for tagging along.

Turkeypen Ridge Trail

After a weekend of consuming an abundance of food and drink at the family reunion, we were more than ready for a day on the trail.  It always feels so good to breath fresh air, stretch our legs, work those muscles, and sweat out some of those impurities we’ve dumped into our bodies.

For our hike, we chose Turkeypen Ridge Trail.  We put it with a few others to make a 9-mile, relatively easy loop--just what we needed after almost a week off the trail.  Another plus for Turkeypen Ridge is the trailhead is close.  We wanted to hike, not spend too much time in the car.

Hearts a burstin'

Turkeypen Ridge trail is 3.6 miles in length, gently rolling along and only gaining a couple hundred feet regardless of which direction you hike.  After gaining the ridge line from either end, the trail basically follows the ridge, weaving in and out of one cove after another, then drops down into either Dorsey Gap on Schoolhouse Gap Trail or Big Spring Cove at Laurel Creek Road.

For our hike, we parked at the trailhead on Laurel Creek Road at Big Spring Cove.  This is the same parking lot used for Finley Cane Trail and Lead Cove Trail.  There are parking pull-outs on both sides of Laurel Creek Road, but because there are three trailheads here, finding a spot can sometimes be difficult.  Our plan was to begin our hike with the 3.6 miles of Turkeypen Ridge Trail, then hike down 1.1 miles of Schoolhouse Gap Trail, connect with Bote Mountain Trail on the other side of Laurel Creek Road, hike up Bote Mountain Trail to Finley Cane trail which would bring us back to our car making a total hiking distance of 9 miles.  It would have been possible to do this same loop by parking at Schoolhouse Gap trailhead.  For a longer, more strenuous hike, Lead Cove Trail could be used instead of Finley Cane.

The first leg of our hike, Turkeypen Ridge Trail, was a very pleasant walk through low elevation hardwood forest and rhododendron.  There are a couple of small stream crossings within the first half mile, but nothing to worry about.  They were very shallow and narrow--easily crossed.  The hike begins in the wide, flat area of Big Spring Cove.  There are few flat areas in the Smokies.  Before the Park was established, all these areas were farms.  We saw several rock piles--evidence the land had been cleared for crops.

There are still a few folks out enjoying the Park

We descended from the ridge to the junction with Schoolhouse Gap Trail.  This trail is an old roadbed--wide and well graded.  It’s an easy 1.1 mile walk, partly along Spence Branch to the large parking lot on Laurel Creek Road.  We found a large rock here which made a great place for lunch.

Lower section of Bote Mountain Trail

For the last half of our hike we headed across Laurel Creek Road to the Bote Mountain trailhead.  This is the lower end of Bote Mountain Trail.  From here it heads uphill for 7 miles, gaining 3500 feet, to intersect with the Appalachian Trail.  That’s a pretty steep climb.  Luckily, we were only going to the junction with Finley Cane Trail, a mere 1.5 miles away.  Also, lucky for us, the trail rises very gently in this first mile.  Bote Mountain Trail is actually a continuation of the same old road as Schoolhouse Gap Trail follows.  Like Schoolhouse Gap Trail, Bote Mountain Trail is wide and well graded in this section.  It is a very pleasant walk through rhododendron. This would be a beautiful walk in early summer.

I need to get a fungus book.  Wish I knew the name of this.

We took a short break when we reached the junction with Finley Cane Trail before starting the last leg of our journey.  This is the same Finley Cane we hiked a few weeks ago, so it is very familiar to us.  This is a very easy, almost flat trail from Bote Mountain for a little over a mile, then very gently downhill, descending a couple hundred feet over the last 1.5 miles to our car.

We had a very nice walk; just what we needed.

We could definitely tell summer is over--the crowds are gone.  We saw only one other family on the trail even though there were several cars in the parking lots.

That’s all for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

On Top of Tennessee

Clingman’s Dome at 6,643 feet, is the highest point in Tennessee.  It is only a few inches shorter than North Carolina’s Mount Mitchell (6,684 ft) which is the highest point east of the Mississippi River.  As you might imagine, there are some spectacular views from the top of Clingman’s Dome, but those views are hard to catch.  We’ve been waiting all summer for a good view day.

With temperatures once again near 90 degrees, we decided to head for the top for our hike on Monday.  We had a great weather forecast of clear skies all day, so we were hoping for that illusive view.

We arrived in the large Clingman’s Dome parking lot about 9:30.  The busy tourist season is waning and there were very few cars in the lot.  Garnett was hiking with us again and we had worked out a plan whereby the three of us would hike from Clingman’s Dome northbound on the Appalachian Trail to Sugarland Mountain Trail.  At that point, Gene would hike back to Clingman’s Dome and Garnett and I would continue north to Newfound Gap Road where Gene would pick us up.

Of course, the parking lot is not at the top of Clingman’s Dome.  There is a half mile paved trail which leads to the top and the observation tower.  Even though this is a short distance, this half mile is always difficult for me.  Maybe it’s because we just get out of the car and start uphill.  It’s a pretty steep climb, too, gaining 300 feet from the parking lot to the observation tower.

We had great views when we got out of the car, but by the time we climbed to the top of the observation tower, the clouds had moved in.  Still, not bad though.

From the tower, we headed north on the AT.  Naturally, since Clingman’s Dome is the highest point in the state, we started out going downhill.  Basically, the AT follows the ridge line through the Smokies and generally straddles the North Carolina-Tennessee border.  This section of trail is in the high elevation spruce-fir forest which I love.

This is a well maintained trail, but it’s not the easiest walk in the park.  This section is steep in spots, very rocky with lots of roots and a few wet spots.  It’s not all downhill, either.  First comes Mount Love which is hardly noticable.  Actually, its a welcome relief to the steep descent.  Then comes Mt Collins where we gained about 500 feet before dropping back down to the gap. All that being said it is still one of our favorite hikes in the Smokies.

We were in high spirits, but hungry as we came to the junction with Sugarland Mountain Trail.  This was the turn-around point of our hike and a good spot for lunch.  I’d been thinking about that climb back up Mt Collins and then up to Clingmans Dome.  It seemed like a good idea for Garnett and I to continue north (generally downhill) to Newfound Gap and let Gene do the climbing back up to the top, retrieve the car, and pick us girls up down the hill.  The milage was about the same--Gene had 4 miles back to the car and Garnett and I had 4.5 miles to the Gap.  Everyone was agreeable to that, even Gene.

Garnett and I had a great hike down to Newfound Gap even though there were a few short uphill sections.  Our walk continued through the spruce-fir forest.  We took one break at Indian Gap.  The Trail comes out to a large parking lot on Clingmans Dome Road at this point and we found a grass spot to rest at the edge of the curb.  From here, we had only 1.7 easy miles to go.  At the Gap we again threw our packs down and stretched out on a grassy spot to wait for Gene.

It turned out to be a great hike with the last half being new trail for Garnett.  Glad we were able to help her color some map.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Middle Prong Trail

There are so many trails in Great Smoky Mountain National Park that it would be possible to hike a different trail each week for over 2 years.  Of course, some trails are better than others and there are several that are worth doing over and over.  Every time we hike a trail, we have a whole new experience.  The weather may be different--the mountain may be shrouded in fog or bathed in sunlight; the leaves may be green or the ablaze with color.  The different seasons also offer a whole new perspective to the trail.  Sometimes we find something we never knew existed on a trail we’ve hiked many times.  That’s what happened on our last hike up Middle Prong Trail.

Middle Prong has proven to be an exciting trail to hike this summer.  We last did this trail the last week in June.  On that hike we only went up as far as the junction with Panther Creek Trail, but found there the crew counting the brook trout.  That was exciting and this week we found a waterfall we hadn’t previously known was on this trail.

Middle Prong Trail begins at the end of the gravel portion of Tremont Road.  This three mile section of gravel road from Tremont Institute to the Middle Prong trailhead is closed in winter.  This is another one of those trails we wanted to hike again before the road is closed.  The parking area at the trailhead is large enough for several cars and the road ends in a loop for the benefit of those towing horse trailers.

Remains of an old homestead or a CCC camp.

As we pulled into the parking area we noticed a large group of hikers.  There are several Wednesday hiking clubs in the area and we’ve been wanting to join one of these groups.  Gene jumped out of the car and introduced himself.  As it turned out they were part of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, a club we already belong to.  Smoky Mountains Hiking Club has a reputation of hiking fast, faster than we want to go.  They also like to hike the old trails which are no longer maintained.  We’re not into bushwhacking, either.

Cardinal Flower

While Gene was talking with a couple members of the group, he learned they were headed up Middle Prong to an old trail which leads to Indian Flats waterfall.  They invited us to come along, but we didn’t want to race up the trail then have to bushwhack to some obscure falls.  We let them go on about their business and we went about ours.


Middle Prong Trail is just over four miles in length and an easy four miles it is.  The trail follows an old logging road and rises gently just over a 1000 feet over the course of its entire length.  Lynn Camp Prong tumbles and cascades over boulders just below the trail on the left as you head uphill. There is the occasional swimming hole for the more adventuresome on a hot summer day.  The water in these mountain streams is always too cold for me.

After 2.8 miles we stopped at the Panther Creek Trail junction for a short break.  Middle Prong Trail beyond this junction becomes a little steeper, but hardly noticeable.  The trail gains its elevation by way of long switchbacks.  At the curve of one of these switchbacks we noticed a distinct trail leading off to the right.  From the description Gene got from the hikers in the parking lot, we assumed this to be the trail to the waterfalls.  We could definitely hear the sound of water and, ever so faintly, voices.

We continued on up Middle Prong Trail and, after the next switchback, came to the junction with Lynn Camp Prong Trail and Greenbrier Ridge Trail.  This marks the end of Middle Prong Trail and a perfect place for our lunch break.

From this junction the Appalachian Trail and Derrick Knob shelter are 4.2 miles up Greenbrier Ridge Trail.  It is possible to take Lynn Camp Prong Trail 3.7 miles over to Miry Ridge Trail and down that trail to connect with Panther Creek Trail making a nice loop for a horse ride.

Indian Flats Falls

After our lunch we headed back the way we came.  By the time we got back to the switchback to the falls, the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club group were milling around waiting for the last of their hikers to return from the falls.  They pointed the way for us and encouraged us to go take a look.  They assured us this old trail required no bushwhacking.

We could see at least 2 lower sections of the falls, but we
didn't try to climb down for a better view.

They were sure right about that.  It was as good a trail as most of the maintained trails in the Smokies.  And, it was only about 75 yards to the waterfalls.  The area at the falls was a wonderful place for lunch or just hanging out.  In fact, Gene spoke to a hiker coming up Middle Prong Trail who was on his way to the falls with his hammock to spend a quiet, relaxing afternoon.

One of a couple of cairns in front of the falls

Garnett adding a stone to one.

We expected to have a great hike, but with the discovery of this little waterfalls, our hike was fantastic.  We’ll be returning there for sure.

That’s all for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Trillium Gap Trail to Brushy Mountain

We got with our hiking friend, Sharon, and she suggested we go up to Brushy Mountain via the Trillium Gap Trail.  That was a great suggestion and it turned out to be a beautiful hike.

Trillium Gap Trail is one of the four trails which lead to Mt. LeConte Lodge.  The others are Rainbow Falls Trail, Alum Cave Trail, and The Boulevard Trail.  Of course, there are other trails which make connections with these making other routes possible.  Brushy Mountain Trail junctions with Trillium Gap Trail and Bull Head Trails junctions with Rainbow Falls Trail.

Trillium Gap Trail is nine miles long from its trailhead in Cherokee Orchard to LeConte Lodge.  For our hike today we were only doing a short 2.8 mile section, or what is commonly thought of as the middle section of Trillium Gap Trail.  To access the middle of the trail we didn’t use the large parking area at the trailhead.  Trillium Gap Trail actually begins off of Rainbow Falls Trail a short distance from that trailhead.  After leaving Rainbow Falls Trail, Trillium Gap Trail more or less parallels Cherokee Orchard Road for about two miles at which point a short access trail comes up from the Grotto Falls parking area.  We used this access trail as a means to get to Trillium Gap Trail without having to start at the beginning.

The Grotto Falls parking area is about 2 miles from the beginning of the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.  The parking lot will accommodate several cars, but this is one of the most popular hikes in the park, so the spaces go quickly.  Also, because this trail leads to Mt LeConte, some vehicles will be there overnight.  We arrived about 9 AM and were able to find a parking space near the end of the lot and didn’t have to try to squeeze to the shoulder of this very narrow road.

Lower portion of Grotto Falls

The primary feature along this trail is Grotto Falls located just 1.4 miles from the parking area.  It is a relatively easy climb on a wide, well used trail to one of the prettiest falls in the Park.  No wonder it gets crowds every day.  On the morning of our hike, we only saw 3 or 4 other people on the trail as we made our way past the falls.

Roaring Fork, the source of Grotto Falls, drops approximately 25 feet as it falls over the rock outcrop into a small pool then quickly tumbles again over boulders as it rushes on its journey to join the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River near Gatlinburg.  There are boulders all around the falls.  Sometimes they seem to be in the way of the best camera shot, but they make great places to sit and enjoy the beauty of the falls.

The trail actually goes behind the falls.  This can be a wet spot depending on the amount of recent rainfall, but we only got a little spray on our boots as we passed behind the falls.  Grotto Falls is the destination for most hikers on this trail.  We, however, we continuing beyond the falls up to Trillium Gap where we would junction with Brushy Mountain Trail.

Even on days when there are crowds at the Falls, the trail above the falls is blessedly peaceful.  There may be the occasional day hikers like ourselves or the few guests coming or going from Mt LeConte Lodge, but certainly not the throngs of folks that clog the trail below the falls.

 This is also the trail which the wrangler uses to lead the llamas to and from Mt Leconte Lodge.  The llama trailer was in the parking area and there was evidence on the pavement and on the trail that they had been there earlier that morning.  I’m sorry we missed them. That would have been a real treat to see.

The trail above the falls becomes a bit steeper, but not too strenuous as it gains another thousand feet before meeting Brushy Mountain Trail in Trillium Gap.  The gap is a large grassy spot with a couple of logs to sit on for a break.  In the middle of the gap is a 4-way intersection.  Trillium Gap Trail makes a sharp right turn here to continue on to Mt. LeConte.  Straight ahead of us as we came up Trillium Gap Trail is Brushy Mountain Trail.  To go straight here would lead 5.5 miles to Greenbrier Cove.  Our destination was to the left about a quarter mile up to the summit of Brushy Mountain.

Trail on Brushy Mountain

Brushy Mountain is a heath bald which offers some tremendous views.  This is different from the grassy balds we’ve been visiting this summer.  A heath bald is covered in short shrubs of the heath family--blueberry, sand myrtle, wintergreen, rhododendron, and mountain laurel.  These shrubs can get pretty tall and I was barely able to see over the top.  Fortunately, there is a “bald” spot just off the trail that offers excellent views.  This is also a great spot for lunch as it is somewhat protected from the wind by the surrounding vegetation.

Mt LeConte just under the cloud

A few rumbles of thunder and an ominous looking black cloud approaching from over Mt LeConte cut our lunch break a little short.  We packed up our stuff and headed back down the mountain.  Our return trip along Trillium Gap Trail was as peaceful and pleasant as our ascent had been until we got to Grotto Falls.  The crowds had moved in and we had difficulty navigating our way behind the falls and over the surrounding boulders.

Lunch spot of the day

I guess I’m selfish and enjoy the solitude of a mountain trail.  At the same time, I’m grateful all these people chose to venture out into the woods for a day of exercise, fresh air, and a big dose of nature at its best.

View from our lunch spot

This is a beautiful hike and we’ll be coming here often.  Thanks, Sharon, for sharing the hike and the day with us.

That’s all for now.  Thanks for tagging along.