26 Pine Mountain and Abrams Falls

The pine-oak woods in the western end of the park receive little visitation compared with the park’s other regions. You’ll have most of this hike to yourself, but expect lots of company at Abrams Falls.

(See map for Hike 22: Abrams Falls.)

Start: Parking area near Abrams Creek Ranger Station

Distance: 11.7-mile reverse lollipop

Hiking time: About 6 hours—day hike, overnighter, or 2-nighter

Difficulty: Moderate, with a potentially difficult and dangerous creek wade

Trail surface: Old forest roads, gravel roads, and forest trails

Best season: Late May through early June is a great time to hike because of the mountain laurel bloom and because it is safer to wade Abrams Creek in warm weather.

Other trail users: Equestrians permitted on about half of the hike

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

Special considerations: An unbridged crossing over Abrams Creek cannot be rock-hopped, and in high water it might be too dangerous to wade. Little Bottoms Trail is not graded and is unsuitable for sandals or other shoes without ankle support. The small spring at Campsite 16 may dry up during prolonged dry spells.

Other: The parking area is in a large field, so all of the possible parking places rarely fill up. However, on summer weekends you might not get an easy spot to pull into. The campground has restroom facilities, but to use them you’d have to walk about 0.3 mile in the opposite direction from the trailhead.

Finding the trailhead: The trailhead parking area is in a field near Abrams Creek Ranger Station at the western end of the park. From the junction of Foothills Parkway and US 129 (approximately 22 miles south of Maryville, Tennessee, and 25 miles north of Fontana, North Carolina), go less than 0.1 mile south on US 129 and turn left on Happy Valley Road. Drive 5.7 miles on this road through Happy Valley and turn right at the sign for the campground and ranger station. Pass the ranger station at 0.6 mile; the parking area, located on both sides of the road, is a short distance farther. GPS: N35 36.557' / W83 56.110'

The Hike

From the parking area, walk back up the road and turn left onto Rabbit Creek Trail, located just beyond the ranger station. The trail leads a short distance to Abrams Creek and follows it downstream through lush spring wildflowers to a foot log below a ford. From the foot log, you have a fine view of Abrams Creek. Study the creek carefully here. If you’d feel uncomfortable wading this ford (which you might have to do anyway if heavy flooding has washed away the foot log), you need to reconsider making this hike, since the crossing later on has no foot log. While that crossing is much farther upstream—with a lower water flow—the ford here still provides a good indication of what you can expect.

Shortly beyond the crossing, the trail passes through a clearing with wild roses, daylilies, and daffodils, revealing that this was once a homesite. Here the trail begins climbing Pine Mountain. You get a few level spurts along the way, but this is mostly a long and sometimes steep haul up the mountain. A man-made flat pad in an outside bend marks the high point of the climb and the highest elevation of the entire hike at 2,064 feet. You can rest your lungs on the 0.5-mile descent to Scott Gap.

Scott Gap marks the intersection of Rabbit Creek Trail and Hannah Mountain Trail. Rabbit Creek Trail continues straight and reaches Cades Cove in another 5.1 miles, while a right turn on Hannah Mountain Trail takes you to Parson Branch Road. Campsite 16 lies on a bed of pine needles a few hundred feet down the west side of the gap. If you’re making this hike as a leisurely two-night backpack, this will be your first night’s stay.

Before leaving the gap, take time to admire the large trees here, including the massive yellow poplar (tulip tree). Now turn left (east) on Hannah Mountain Trail and enjoy one of the easiest stretches of trail in the park as you follow the contour line on a long hike over cushiony pine needles. At a broad ridge the trail begins a gradual descent to Abrams Creek, with only the last portion being steep. You must wade the creek to complete the hike, but don’t hesitate to turn back if you feel uncomfortable.

Once on the far side, turn right on Abrams Falls Trail and follow it upstream 1.7 miles to Abrams Falls. After viewing the falls, backtrack to the trail junction and head downstream on Hatcher Mountain Trail. Soon the trail forks, with Hatcher Mountain Trail heading right and up the mountain, while Little Bottoms Trail (your route) goes left and downhill. Little Bottoms Trail is poorly graded in places, looking more like a spot on the hillside with the leaves raked away than it does a hiking trail. You definitely need ankle-supporting hiking boots on this trail.

About 0.7 mile from the Hatcher Mountain Trail junction is Campsite 17, one of the most pleasant sites in the Smokies. It sits on a large level bench above Abrams Creek in a forest of hemlock (now dead) and white pine. Pine needles cushion the tent pads and the sites are far enough apart to provide reasonable privacy. This is your second night’s stay on a two-night backpack and if spending only one night, this might be a better choice than Campsite 16. For one thing, you have most of the hike behind you, and you can laze your way back to the car the next day. Site 17 is very popular and rationed, so you want to make reservations as early as possible.

Beyond the campsite the trail continues to follow Abrams Creek downstream before eventually pulling away and climbing steeply to a ridge. An even steeper descent takes you to Cooper Road Trail at Campsite 1. At only 1.3 easy miles from the trailhead, this site is often crowded, particularly with youth groups. A left turn onto Cooper Road Trail takes you to Abrams Creek Campground in 0.9 mile. Walk through the campground and along the gravel road back to the trailhead.

Miles and Directions

0.0Start by walking along the road back toward the ranger station. Turn left onto Rabbit Creek Trail, just beyond the station.

0.1Cross Abrams Creek on a foot log.

2.7Reach Scott Gap and turn left (east) on Hannah Mountain Trail. Campsite 16 is nearby.

4.6Wade Abrams Creek to the junction with Hatcher Mountain Trail and Abrams Falls Trail. Turn right and follow Abrams Falls Trail upstream to Abrams Falls.

6.3Arrive at Abrams Falls. Backtrack to the ford.

8.0Return to junction with Hatcher Mountain and Abrams Falls Trails at the creek ford. Follow Hatcher Mountain Trail downstream.

8.1Hatcher Mountain Trail forks to the right and heads uphill. You want to take the left fork onto Little Bottoms Trail and descend.

8.8Campsite 17.

10.4Junction with Cooper Road Trail at Campsite 1. Turn left (southwest) and follow the road to Abrams Creek Campground.

11.3End of Cooper Road Trail at Abrams Creek Campground. Walk through the campground on the gravel road.

11.7Arrive back at parking area.

Options: You can shave 3.4 miles off the total distance by passing up the side trip to Abrams Falls. For an all-day loop or a one- to two-night backpacking trip, you can combine this hike with Hike 27. Camp the first or second night at Campsite 17, then backtrack to the junction with Hatcher Mountain Trail. Take Hatcher Mountain Trail to Cooper Road Trail and follow Cooper Road Trail back to the trailhead. See Hike 27 for more details.