HK_GreatSMokyMts

Start: Porters Creek trailhead in the Greenbrier section of the park

Distance: 11.8 miles out and back

Hiking time: About 6 hours—day hike

Difficulty: Moderate

Trail surface: Old forest road and forest trails

Best seasons: June for mountain laurel bloom, Aug for blueberries

Other trail users: Most of the hike is open to equestrians

Maps: Mount LeConte USGS quad; Trails Illustrated #229 Great Smoky Mountains; Trails Illustrated #317 Clingmans Dome Cataloochee

Other: There’s room for several vehicles scattered along the traffic loop, but there are no facilities. Pit toilets are available at the picnic areas on the gravel road leading to the trailhead.

Finding the trailhead: From US 441 in Gatlinburg, turn at traffic light #3 and drive east on US 321. At 5.9 miles turn right (south) onto Greenbrier Road. This road follows scenic Middle Prong of Little Pigeon River, changing to gravel just past the ranger station. Drive slowly and watch for pedestrians in summer. At 3.1 miles the road to the Ramsey Cascades trailhead (Hike 41) turns left. Stay straight and continue another 0.9 mile to a traffic loop. Park at the far end of the loop, at the road gate. The trail is a continuation of the gravel road. GPS: N35 41.811' / W83 23.292'

The Hike

Start up the gravel road and soon come to a great view of Porters Creek at a washout. A little farther along you begin noticing relics of life before the park was established, such as rock walls and old homesites. Cross a small creek branch on a bridge and pass a nice patch of crested dwarf iris, just up the hill. An old cemetery lies to the right, and just beyond it is an old rusty vehicle sitting 100 feet into the woods. The road soon crosses a larger stream, this one with the option of wading the ford or crossing on a foot log. Kids love this one.

At 1.0 mile you reach the old traffic turnaround in an area known as Porters Flat. Three trails lead from here: On the far left, heading south along Porters Creek, is Porters Creek Trail; to the far right (west end) is a side trail leading a short distance to a historic farm site; and in the middle of the two is the trailhead for Brushy Mountain Trail.

The side trip to the farm site is recommended. The reconstructed buildings accurately represent structures that were common in pre-park days. There’s a cantilevered barn, springhouse, and cabin. Smoky Mountains Hiking Club used the cabin as a hiking base camp for many years, but camping is now prohibited.

After exploring the farm site, take Brushy Mountain Trail and ascend past rock walls and other artifacts of early settlement, and cross a few small creek branches. The grade is easy at first but soon picks up and stays moderate the rest of the way.

Long Branch flows down the north side of a ridge and you get within earshot of it before turning to remain on the south side. Just beyond here is Fittified Spring, about 100 feet off the left side of the trail on a faint and easily missed path. Supposedly, an earthquake in 1916 caused this spring to flow intermittently, or in “fits.” With summer vegetation, you might pass right by the spring and never see it.

If you’re making this hike in late May or June when the mountain laurel blooms, the laurel tunnels up ahead are a highlight of the trip. Farther up on a rocky ridge, the trail opens up to a nice view. Now you enter a once-scenic forest with good-size hemlocks (now dead) and cross several small creek branches. One particularly scenic pool on Trillium Branch looks as though it could harbor a good-size brook trout. A good distance farther up, you cross Trillium Branch again. This time the creek creates a postcard-worthy scene as it slides and tumbles over mossy rocks.

Trillium Gap is a short distance from this last creek crossing. At the gap Trillium Gap Trail goes straight ahead down the other side to Grotto Falls and then Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. To the left it goes to Mount LeConte. Your hike goes right (north) on a deeply rutted trail and passes through a rhododendron tunnel, then a mountain laurel tunnel. The tunnels soon open up to great views of Mount LeConte behind you and the Porters Creek watershed to the right. Continue along the trail to a fork. The right fork leads a few feet to a restricted view toward the east. The left fork leads a few yards to a near-180-degree view toward the north. From that view, straight ahead (north) and below is the imposing Mount Winnesoka, to the right is Greenbrier Pinnacle, and to the left is Gatlinburg and the ever-present Space Needle. To the northeast, English Mountain looms in the distance. On a clear, smog-free day (a rare occurrence in the summer Smokies), you can see Pigeon Forge and Douglas Lake far to the northwest.

Brushy Mountain itself is worth the hike even if the views aren’t clear. On its summit is a heath bald, with mountain laurel, Catawba rhododendron, sand myrtle, wintergreen, blueberry, and huckleberry—all shrubs or ground-cover plants.

After soaking up the views from Brushy Mountain’s summit, return to the trailhead the way you came, or return to Trillium Gap and then head to Mount LeConte or Grotto Falls if doing one of those options.

Miles and Directions

0.0Start at the gate on the south end of the parking area.

1.0Reach the junction with Brushy Mountain Trail (center) and the side trail to the historic farm site (right). Porters Creek Trail goes to the left (south) along the stream. After exploring the old farm site, return to this junction and take Brushy Mountain Trail, heading west.

5.5Junction with Trillium Gap Trail at Trillium Gap. Turn right (north) to remain on Brushy Mountain Trail.

5.9Arrive at the summit of Brushy Mountain. Return the way you came.

11.8Arrive back at trailhead.

Options: With a second vehicle or shuttle, an excellent choice is to combine this hike with Hike 37. Leave a vehicle at the trailhead for Hike 37 and when you return to Trillium Gap from Brushy Mountain’s summit, finish the hike by following Trillium Gap Trail to the west, passing by Grotto Falls along the way. Another option is to hike to Mount LeConte, following Trillium Gap Trail south from Trillium Gap.