Laurel Falls

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park stretches across 800 square miles, with nearly 95 percent of its land covered in forest. These ancient mountains, which are among the oldest on Earth, are built from rocks more than 200 million years old with their jagged peaks worn down into the soft, rounded ridges that are present today. These ridgelines are traversed by the Appalachian Trail which climbs to its highest point at Clingmans Dome (6,643 feet) and straddles the border of North Carolina and Tennessee in the park. From the ridges you will often see a distinctive blue haze that lingers over the valleys.  It is a natural mist that is created when plants release water vapor and organic compounds into the air which gives the area its trademark “Smoky” Mountains name.  Unfortunately, the majority of the people that visit the park never visit the backcountry and see some of the best wilderness in the Southeastern U.S.

On this hike, we explored the Tennessee side of the park and walked the mostly paved path to Laurel Falls.  The trail is a 2.6-mile round-trip hike that leads to one of the park’s most popular waterfalls. The Laurel Falls Trail gently climbs ~300 feet through lush hardwood and pine forests making the falls accessible for hikers of all ages. The trail passes along cascading streams and through seasonal wildflowers and dense rhododendron thickets along the way. Laurel Falls at 80 feet is at the end of the trail and it tumbles over two tiers – with a pedestrian bridge where there is a close-up view of the falls. The trail is heavily visited and remains a favorite in the park for its ease of access and beauty, so parking can be a challenge during peak season.