A waterfall along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (April 2013)

Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a great place to find waterfalls, and in the short time I visited, I wasn’t able to see very many of them. (It gives me a good reason to go back!) If you take the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, which is very close to Gaitlinburg (a surprisingly commercialized town), you will have the chance to visit a number of waterfalls such as Grotto and Rainbow Falls. Just plan more time!

On the day I visited, I had stopped to see Mingo Falls and Laurel Falls. The hike to Mingo Falls was shorter, Laurel Falls somewhat longer. I then stopped went into Gaitlinburg and ended up taking way more time than planned to find dinner! So once I got to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, I didn’t have a huge amount of time left to hike to some of the falls, which clock in at 5+ miles round trip. There was also some thunder around, and my brain does not particularly like thunder. So let’s just say I stuck to the main road.

You can only go one way on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, and I was paying attention for the Place of a Thousand Drips. Before I got to my planned destination, I noticed this other waterfall to my left. Luckily, the road wasn’t busy at that time (in late April), and I had the chance to stop and photograph the falls. I didn’t stay for a long time, just enough to capture the falls. I’d say it’s about 30′ tall or so (?), and I don’t know if it’s named. If you have the chance, though, take the time to enjoy this unexpected waterfall!

Directions:

1. Head into Gaitlinburg along US-441/TN-71. (You should notice signs for the Motor Trail, but if you don’t….)
2. If headed north into Gaitlinburg, you would turn right onto Historic Nature Trail/Cherokee Orchard Road, and essentially continue southeast along the road. The road turns into the Motor Trail inside of the park.
3. Look for this falls on your left. If you reach the Place of a Thousand Drips, you’ve passed it, and you have to circle around again if you want to see it.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 30′
Length of Hike: roadside

Where in the World is the Waterfall on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail?