Five Popular Hikes Near Gatlinburg
These five hikes, all within 10 miles of Gatlinburg, TN, are overwhelmingly popular. Each of these trails is extraordinary, even by Smoky Mountains standards, with magnificent views, extraordinary scenery, and beautiful waterfalls.
1- Laurel Falls Trail It is located 4 miles west of the Sugarlands Visitor Center on Little River RD. This 1.3 mile paved trail leads to a beautiful view of a 75 foot waterfall. Laurel Falls is considered one of the most popular waterfalls in the Great Smoky Mountains. The trail is close to Townsend and the walking time is 4 1/2 hours. This out and back hike is one of the most popular in the Smokies and you can expect this trail to be busy, especially in the summer season and on weekends.
2. Chimney Tops Trail It is located 6.7 miles south of the Sugarlands Visitor Center in Newfound Gap RD. This 2-mile uphill stretch leads through ancient forest to a popular, but dangerous, cliff-top lookout. This is a bad place to take children. Chimney Tops Trail offers 360-degree views of the Smoky Mountains. This trail has an elevation of 1,432 feet. The average walking time is 2 and a half hours.
3. Alum Cave Trail is 8.6 miles south of the Sugarlands Visitor Center on New found Gap Rd. The lower 2 miles of this access trail to Mount LeConte features massive rocks and interesting geological formation known as Arch Rock, ancient forest, and spectacular views from exposed cliffs.
4. Trail of the falls of the grotto It is located 3.5 miles from Gatlinburg on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. This easy 1 mile hike leads through mature forest to a large waterfall. You can access this trail from light n. 8 in Galinburg. you can walk behind the beautiful waterfalls. The hike takes place on the Trillium Gap Trail and the elevation is 600 feet. The walking time for this trail is 2 hours.
5. Tail of the Ramsey Falls It is at the end of the left fork within the Greenbrier area. This difficult hike (an eight-mile round-trip distance with two thousand feet of climbing passes through an ancient forest with giant fir trees and tuliptrees that are sometimes 7 feet in diameter, ending in an exceptionally beautiful 100-foot waterfall. of the Ramsay Falls measures 2,200 feet and the walking time is 4 and a half hours.