How to Get There

Overview

The 25-foot waterfall is located on the Trillium Gap Trail, which is just off the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. The cave like sandstone formation of the rock gives the waterfalls its name. The trail to the waterfalls is a popular one to see a diversity of plant and animal life. Hemlocks, tulip poplars, and flowering dogwoods line the trail. There is also an opportunity to be able to walk behind the waterfall.

Trillium Gap Trail meanders through an old-growth hemlock forest and actually runs behind the 25 foot high waterfall. The cool, moist environment near the falls is ideal for salamanders and summer hikers. The hike is 3 miles roundtrip and considered moderate in difficulty.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Gatlinburg, TN, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

Access trail

Trillium Gap Trail on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Trailhead

From the parkway in Gatlinburg, turn at traffic light #8 and follow Historic Nature Trail into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Take Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail to stop #5 where there is a large parking area. Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a narrow, winding, one-way road that is closed in winter. Buses, RVs, and large trucks are prohibited on the road.

Trail Notes

The roundtrip distance to the waterfall is 2.6 miles and the hike is generally considered moderate in difficulty. It takes about 2-3 hours to hike to the waterfall and back.

This article uses material from nps.gov "Great Smoky Mountains National Park"