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Length:
8.0 miles roundtrip
Difficulty: Medium to Strenuous
Highlights: Laurel Falls and the Air Quality Monitoring
Station
Caution: Slick rocks occur around Laurel Falls
Note: Best hiked early in the day or off-season to avoid
crowds
The quickest
route to the Cove Mountain fire tower is to begin on the Laurel
Falls Trail. The Laurel Falls trailhead is located in Fighting
Creek Gap, between the Sugarlands Visitor Center and Elkmont
Campground on Little River Road. A painted pedestrian crosswalk
traverses the road at this location, making it easier to spot
the parking area.
In order to get the best parking space and
have the most solitude, arrive at the trailhead very early in
the morning. The Laurel Falls Trail is perhaps the most heavily
used trail in the park. While I’m still doing some research,
I believe the name Fighting Creek Gap might have been coined
after someone saw two cars battle for a parking space on a summer
afternoon.
The Laurel Falls Trail begins as an easy
climb on a paved trail. Pavement is necessary to prevent erosion
from the heavy amount of foot traffic the trail receives. You’ll
soon see why this is such a popular route for day hikers. At
just over one and a quarter miles, you’ll see Laurel Falls,
a beautiful seventy-five foot waterfall. Cross the footbridge
over the clear, cool mountain pool and continue up the trail.
You’ll leave the pavement, as well as most of the hikers,
behind you at the falls.
The trail becomes a bit steeper as you move
through a variety of virgin timber. You’ll pass a junction
with the Little Greenbrier Trail at about three miles. Continue
on the Laurel Falls Trail. Within a mile, you will join with
the Cove Mountain Trail. Take a left and you’ll soon encounter
a grassy clearing and the Cove Mountain fire tower.
Unlike the other three fire towers in the
park, the Cove Mountain fire tower doesn’t afford much
of a view. The third tier of the tower has been transformed
into an air quality monitoring station, part of a joint venture
between the National Park Service and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Unfortunately, ground-level ozone is contributing
to unhealthy air and decreased visibility in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park and the surrounding area. By monitoring
the amount of ground-level ozone present in the air, park officials
can better inform the park’s employees and visitors, especially
those individuals who are run an increased risk of suffering
the effects of ground-level ozone. Children and asthmatics are
the first to feel the effects of such pollution, though healthy
adults may experience a fifteen to twenty percent reduction
in lung function from exposure to low levels of ozone over several
hours. Ground-level ozone takes a toll on the environment as
well, interfering with the health of plants and wildlife.
After exploring the area, return to your
car via the same route.
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Area Maps Here....
 he
hiker should be prepared for a wide range of temperatures and conditions.
The temperature on some hikes can be 10 degrees cooler than when you
leave lower elevations. Combine this with the fact that the Smokies
are also the wettest place in the South, and you have the possibility
for great discomfort in the event of a sudden storm. The higher elevations
in the park can receive upwards of 90 inches of precipitation a year.
Don't judge the complete day by the morning sky.
In summer the days usually start out clear, but as the day heats up,
clouds can build up, resulting in a heavy shower. Winter is a great
time to be in the Smokies, but also represents the most challenging
time as well. Frontal systems sweep through the region, with alternately
cloudy and sunny days, though cloudy days are most frequent in winter.
When traveling in the Smokies, it's a good idea
to carry clothes for all weather conditions.
Footwear should be chosen with care. Though tennis
shoes may be generally appropriate for some day hikes, boots should
be worn on the uneven trails in the Park. They support the ankles
from sprains and the foot from cuts and abrasions.
Stay on the designated trail, because most hikers
who get lost do so when they leave the path. If you get temporarily
lost, try to retrace your steps until you cross the trail again. Then
its just a matter of guessing which way you were headed when you left
the trail. You will either continue the way you were headed or go
back to your starting point--either way, no harm is done.
Always bring rain gear and a wool sweater. They
don't weigh much and might make the difference between being miserable
or not in the event it rains. As mentioned earlier, the Smokies get
approximately 90 inches of rain a year. This is good. Its what makes
the Smokies such a wonderful place to be. Don't start a hike if thunderstorms
threaten--some of the most devastating damage ever to the Park has
been from great storms which can be upon you with little warning.
Cross streams carefully. Getting wet, even in
summer, could lead to hypothermia, which leads ultimately to disorientation,
poor decision making and, in extreme circumstances, death. Having
said that, don't let a fear of hypothermia, getting lost, or bears
prevent you from the enjoyment to be had by trekking the trails of
the Park.
There is no record of anyone ever being killed
by a bear in the Smokies. When we questioned a Park Ranger about how
to react to meeting a bear on the trail, he smilingly told us the
most likely sighting of a bear will be its tail disappearing over
a ridge. Most "incidents" occur when an ignorant visitor
feeds or otherwise harasses a bear. My own experiences with bears
have proven this to be true.
To avoid crowds, hike during the week; avoid holidays;
go during the "off" season. Also, go in the morning before
most folks are through eating breakfast; this is a good time to see
wildlife and morning light is great for photography! You can also
avoid crowds by using the outlying trailheads such as those found
at the Cosby and Wears Valley entrances. I'm embarrassed to say we
didn't know these existed for our first 18 visits to the Smokies.
But to our delight, we found new vistas, trails, and landscapes to
"discover for the first time".
 ith
a little care and planning, your trip to the Smokies can be much more
rewarding and repay you with more great memories. You can enjoy not
only the visual splendor of the Park, you can view it without counting
out-of-state license plates, and you can get more fit in the bargain.
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