7 Laurel Falls and Cove Mountain

This is a Jekyll and Hyde hike. The first 1.3 miles to Laurel Falls are possibly the most popular hike in the park and is insanely crowded. You might have the remaining 2.7 miles to Cove Mountain all to yourself, as nearly everyone stops at the falls. They don’t know what they’re missing, as this section passes through a scenic old-growth forest carpeted in spring with abundant wildflowers.

Start: Fighting Creek Gap on Little River Road

Distance: 8.0 miles out and back (2.6 miles out and back if only hiking to the falls)

Hiking time: About 4 hours—day hike

Difficulty: Moderate, with some long easy stretches. If you’re pushing a baby stroller, the final 0.25 mile to the falls is a little rough.

Trail surface: Paved path and forest trail

Best seasons: Winter to avoid the crowds, spring for the wildflowers

Other trail users: Hikers and baby strollers only

Maps: Gatlinburg USGS quad; Trails Illustrated #229 Great Smoky Mountains; Trails Illustrated #316 Cades Cove Elkmont

Special considerations: The only way to avoid a billion people on the first 1.3 miles to Laurel Falls is to hike first thing in the morning or on a cold, miserable day during winter.

Other: Two large parking lots line each side of Fighting Creek Gap, but they are usually full by midmorning except in winter. Restrooms are available at Sugarlands Visitor Center.

Finding the trailhead: From Sugarlands Visitor Center, drive 3.7 miles west on Little River Road to the trailhead at Fighting Creek Gap (GPS: N35 40.310' / W83 34.831'). Laurel Falls Trail begins on the north side of the road, opposite Sugarland Mountain Trail, which is on the south side.

The Hike

Begin on the north side of the parking area at the obvious trailhead. The first 1.3 miles to Laurel Falls is paved and mostly easy, although it’s an uphill grade most of the way. This part of the trail is also a self-guided nature trail, with a brochure available at the trailhead to teach you about the forest. Even if you don’t see anyone on the trail (unlikely), there always seems to be people at the falls—wading, sitting, climbing (discouraged), picnicking, and photographing. An unsightly concrete bridge extends partly across the pool and presents a challenge to photographers not wanting any man-made elements in their images, but you can crop it out if you’re careful.

Laurel Falls.

Beyond the falls, you’re hiking on a legitimate trail (no pavement) and you’re probably all alone. About 0.2 mile from the falls, a sharp switchback brings you back toward the creek and then a broad swing around a ridge puts you on a parallel course along Jay Bird Branch—out of sight in the drainage below, but within earshot. As you climb along the north side of the ridge, you pass through an old-growth forest of incredible beauty. Large trees of several species grow here, including basswood, buckeye, and some huge yellow poplars (tulip trees). In early spring wildflowers cover the forest floor; later in the season mushrooms are abundant. Sadly, many of the big eastern hemlocks in this forest have died from the adelgid infestation. (See the sidebar for Hike 36.)

The trail leaves the big trees and ascends gradually to the junction with Little Greenbrier Trail on the left (west), which leads 4.3 miles to Wear Cove Gap. Your hike continues straight on Laurel Falls Trail, climbing moderately on the flanks of Cove Mountain to the junction with Cove Mountain Trail on a ridge. A service road for the fire tower is just ahead. To the right (east), Cove Mountain Trail leads 8.4 miles to the park headquarters. To the left (west), a short walk takes you to a small clearing on the summit of Cove Mountain and the fire tower.

No good views greet the hiker on the Cove Mountain summit, since an air-quality monitoring station now occupies the fire tower above the first few flights. The other side of the clearing affords a meager view down a power-line clearing toward Wear Cove.

Miles and Directions

0.0Start on Laurel Falls Trail on the north side of the road.

1.3Arrive at Laurel Falls.

3.1Junction with Little Greenbrier Trail coming in from the left (west). Continue north on Laurel Falls Trail.

3.9Junction with Cove Mountain Trail on the ridge. Turn left (west) and follow the old roadbed.

4.0Arrive at the summit of Cove Mountain. Return the way you came.

8.0Arrive back at trailhead.

Options: With a second vehicle or prearranged shuttle service, you have two options that allow you to avoid backtracking. You could hike back down to the junction with Little Greenbrier Trail and follow it to Wear Gap, or you could hike along the ridge from Cove Mountain to the park headquarters near Gatlinburg. Before choosing this option, however, note that when hiking Cove Mountain Trail, you often are within sight of the development surrounding Gatlinburg.

Wonderful Waterfalls

With more than 2,100 miles of streams and an average rainfall exceeding 85 inches in the higher elevations, it’s surprising that the Smokies do not have a large number of significant waterfalls. Waterfalls in the park tend to be small and not very high, and if they are high, they are on very small streams. Look to the topography for an explanation. Most of the streams in the park start out as springs in the higher elevations and they flow steeply to the lowlands. By the time they gain sufficient size to create significant waterfalls, they have already left the steep mountain slopes and no longer flow over topography that forms big waterfalls. You’ll find countless cascades here, and a few dozen small and medium falls. Some of these are very scenic and extremely popular, such as Laurel Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Grotto Falls. However, if you want to see the big thundering kinds of waterfalls, you need to head west from the Smokies to Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau or head east to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Escarpment region.