Smoky Mountain Hike - The Abrams Falls Trail

homeCabinsCondosHotelsBed and BreakfastsAboutSite MapSmoky Mountains Scenic Image

Abrams Falls Trail - Smoky Mountains Hike

hiker title
[ Featured Hike ] [ Tips ]

letter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has 270 miles of roads, over 800 miles of trails, and more than 500,000 acres of land. How much of it have you traversed? There are 50 species of mammals, 80 species of fish, 200 species of birds, and 1,300 species of flowering plants. The Park even boasts seven trees of record dimensions. How many of these have you seen?

More than ten million people visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park yearly, but most only see the park superficially. The best part of the Smoky Mountains area is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park itself, yet most people's views and experiences of the Park are limited to the main roads, a handful of the most frequented trails, the Cades Cove loop road, the carnival atmosphere of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, and the bumper of the car in front of them. While the individuals who experience these things are richer for the experience (except for the bumper), they are missing so much. Perhaps saving the rest for another trip? That's a worthwhile notion, but most will simply revisit the places which afforded them so much pleasure before, while there is a lifetime of adventure and experiences left undiscovered.

Though there is so much land and so many sites, discovering the beauty and solitude of this national park does not have to be a hit-or-miss effort. Rod's Guide will help you plan part of your visit to the Park. With the help of Rod's Guide, you can get out of your car and get lost (figuratively speaking) in the splendor of the Park. This month we feature a fairly easy hike from the trailhead near the Cades Cove Visitor's Center, where you will follow Abrams Creek approximately 2.5 to Abrams Falls.

 Smoky Mountain Hike Map

 How to Get To Cades Cove and Abrams Falls:

To get to the Smokies area from where you are, see directions to get to Gatlinburg or Townsend, Tennessee. From Townsend take TN 321 to the Park entrance, turn right on Little River Road to Cades Cove. From Gatlinburg, turn right at the Sugarlands Visitor Center onto Little River Road and on to Cades Cove, where you will travel nearly halfway around the 11-mile loop road to the parking area for the 5-mile round-trip hike to Abrams Falls.

Summary: A fairly easy 5-mile trek (round-trip) that is ideal for the beginner or a family. Plan on roughly three hours, depending on your pace and whether you have small children along. Since the departure point for this hike lies within Cades Cove (the most visited spot within the Park), you will find little solitude unless you are hiking very early in the morning or in the "off" season before May or after the last pockets of Fall color have disappeared. However, even if the circumstances are not ideal, the hike to Abrams Falls is more than reward enough for the effort. The name Abrams is a shortened reference to Abraham, the Cherokee chief of a village on the Little Tennessee near the mouth of what is now Abrams Creek.
Elevation: You will climb to approximately 1,800 feet at one point, but when you arrive at the falls you are actually 300 feet lower than when you started.
Point of departure: You have entered Cades Cove from either Townsend or Gatlinburg via Little River Road (refer to map above). Drive along the one-way Cades Cove Loop Road 4.9 miles, and turn right onto a gravel road that terminates within 0.5 mile at a parking area. Signs mark the area well, but you've gone too far if you get to the Cades Cove Visitors Center. The Abrams Falls Trail begins at the wooden bridge at the end of the parking area.
Abrams Creek Trail: From the parking area, enter the forest and cross the wooden bridge at Abrams Creek. The trail leads right 0.5 mile to the Elijah Oliver Place and left to begin the hike to Abrams Falls.
The trail to Abrams Falls parallels Abrams Creek most of the way, except when Abrams Creek twists left from Arbutus Ridge to form a nearly one-mile loop resembling a "horseshoe," a stretch of the creek that has always been populated with trout fishermen when we've passed. At mile 2.5 you will cross Wilson Branch and take the short side trail to the falls.Abrams Falls Photo

Eighteen smaller streams drain the slopes of the Cades Cove enclosure and empty into Abrams Creek. At the falls, what was the relatively peaceful Abrams Creek is suddenly diverted into a narrow chute along the right side, transforming Abrams to a violent and beautiful twenty-foot plunge over the ledge. During the hot summer months, the natural pool attracts sunbathers and swimmers. During June, the falls are framed by rhododendron and laurel that have grown up the steep bank found at this point on Abrams Creek. The mist created by the plunge of the falls creates a natural air conditioner, and the pool is a wonderful spot to pause, cool off, and enjoy some of the very best the Park has to offer the visitor.

For those who want to hike further, the remaining two miles of the trail are more isolated and challenging than the section you have just completed. The trail ends at the Abrams Creek Ford, where the hiker can pick up the Hannah Mountain Trail (which leads left 1.9 miles to the Rabbit Creek Trail at Scott Gap) and Hatcher Mountain Trail (which leads right 2.8 miles to the Cooper Road Trail and the Beard Cane Creek Trail). Otherwise, you can retrace your steps to the Abrams Creek Trail and return to Cades Cove--completing the 5-mile trek to Abrams Falls and back. From there you can continue on the Cades Cove Loop Road to the visitors center where you can refresh yourself and then enjoy the remaining sights of Cades Cove.

Order Your Park Area Maps Here....
Order A Smokies Trail Map
If your trek to Abrams Falls is a day-hike, take a knapsack and carry a few extra items. Include some bottled water and a snack. Never drink the water from a Park stream without boiling it first. Though the streams in the park are invitingly cool and deceptively clear, they contain bacteria that can wreck your trip and a substantial period thereafter, if you succumb to the temptation to drink from them. You might even include a camera in your knapsack too. If you are making an overnight trip to LeConte Lodge, you'll be carrying a backpack, and we assume here that you have included all the necessary items and arranged for the required reservation at the lodge. A backcountry permit is required for overnight stays in the backcountry. Certain campsites are reserved in advance. Permits are available at visitors centers or by calling (865) 436-1231.

[ Back to Top ]

Internet Marketing by Smokies Web.com · All Content © 1997 - 2006 Smokies Web, Inc. · All Rights Reserved