7 Great Smoky Mountains Waterfalls You’ve Never Heard Of

The Smoky Mountains waterfalls are one of the best reasons to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You’ve probably heard of Laurel Falls, Grotto Falls, Abrams Falls, and Spruce Flats Falls. But with over 100 waterfalls and cascades in the park, there’s a good chance there are several waterfalls you’ve never heard of, much less visited.

On our most recent trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we enjoyed exploring several of these lesser-known waterfalls. Here’s what we learned.

Published October

Midnight Hole

Midnight Hole is a small waterfall with a large pool on the northeastern edge of the park, on the Big Creek Trail. The 1.4-mile (one-way) trail to the falls is an old Jeep trail, wide, shady, and easy. The waterfall will be on your left.

At first glance from the trail, you’ll likely only spot the large pool – the falls are only visible as you get nearer to the edge of the pool.

The pool is 80′ across and 15′ deep at its deepest point. It is a perfect swimming hole, with calm, clear water. This is a beautiful, peaceful spot.

The falls are at the far end of the pool. They (there are two of them) are small, only 8′ high, and are situated between large boulders.

If you walk around the right side of the pool, where the water is shallow, you’ll likely spot several trout.

Midnight Hole is a favorite among families. You’ll probably meet several parents bringing their children for a swim in the pool.

Mouse Creek Falls

Just 0.6 miles past Midnight Hole on Big Creek Trail is the better-known Mouse Creek Falls. Despite the name, we saw no mice while we were there.

Mouse Creek Falls is a little tricky to find because it is hidden from the trail by the thick shrubbery. Just look for the hitching post (seen below). Obviously, this is also a horse trail. Walk behind the hitching post, and you’ll find the path leading down to the falls.

Mouse Creek Falls is much larger than Midnight Hole. It is formed by Mouse Creek falling 50′ over its ledge before joining with Big Creek. It is often described as “hourglass-shaped” since it is wider at the top and bottom but narrow in the middle.

This section of the park seems to be a good spot for seeing bears. (We saw a mom and three cubs, and then another mom and two cubs within about five minutes of each other!) Keep your eyes open and your camera ready!

Trickling Falls

Trickling Falls, also known as Road Prong Cascade, requires a 2.6-mile (out & back) moderately difficult hike beginning at the Chimney Tops Trailhead parking area. From the trailhead, hike 0.9 miles to the trail sign at the fork in the trail. Take the left fork onto Road Prong Trail. (Going right will take you to Chimney Tops. We did them both – first Chimney Tops, then Trickling Falls on the way back.)

This section of Road Prong Trail is not very well-maintained. It is narrow, rocky, rooty, and overgrown, at least in the beginning, but it does get better the farther you walk. At 0.4 miles past the trail sign, Trickling Falls will be on your left.

Trickling Falls is an impressive waterfall, formed by Road Prong Creek dropping 50′ over a 70′ run. Road Prong continues on from here, creating several smaller cascades along its route. (Perhaps this is where the “Trickling” Falls name comes from…)

Happily, this area offers something special in every season – wildflowers in spring and summer, fall colors in autumn, and even ice formations in the winter!

Pro Tip

• Talking Falls, also known as Road Prong Falls, is just 0.4 miles up the trail from Trickling Falls.
• And if you’re really feeling “hardcore,” continue past Talking Falls for another 6.5 miles to Gunther Fork Cascades. Adding these two lesser-known waterfalls will increase your hike to a 16.3-mile strenuous roundtrip walk. (Full disclosure: we haven’t done either of these—only Trickling Falls.)
• Both Trickling Falls and Talking Falls can also be reached from the Road Prong trailhead on Clingmans Dome Road, about 2 miles west of Newfound Gap Road. If you begin from this end, the trailhead to Talking Falls will be 1.7 miles, with the walk down to Trickling Falls adding another 0.4 miles.

Laurel Creek Cascade

Laurel Creek Cascade is located on the way to Cades Cove, but park visitors often miss it. That’s too bad since it’s a great place to stop, especially since you’ll probably drive right by it anyway.

The cascade is on Laurel Creek Road, just 0.4 miles past the Townsend “Y”, where East Lamar Alexander Parkway in Townsend joins Laurel Creek Road. Look for the parking area on your right.

There is no hiking needed here—Laurel Creek Cascade is just beyond the parking area. This is a pleasant area where the water drops 8′ down over multiple paths for a length of 20′.

This a great spot to get your kids out of the car and do some wading and playing. It’s also a great spot for photos. Laurel Creek Cascade is one of the stops on the Pink Jeep Tours in the park.

Crooked Arm Cascade

Crooked Arm Cascade is located just inside Cades Cove. Almost everyone who visits the Great Smoky Mountains National Park visits Cades Cove, but very few people visit or even know about Crooked Arm Cascade.

Park at the far end of the Cades Cove parking lot (next to the restroom). Walk across the road, and you will quickly come to the Rich Mountain Loop Trail trailhead sign. Follow the easy trail for 0.5 miles, then turn right onto Crooked Arm Ridge Trail.

The trail here becomes much narrower, more of a footpath than a trail. You’ll probably have the trail all to yourself. Follow it 0.2 miles to Crooked Arm Cascade, which will be on your right.

There are a couple or three things you should know about Crooked Arm Cascade. First, it’s not easy to spot from the trail due to the thick foliage surrounding it. Make sure you begin looking for it on your right at about 0.2 miles after turning onto Crooked Arm Ridge Trail.

Second, getting down to the base of the cascade involves a short but steep climb down to the bottom. There’s a narrow footpath here, but it may take you a minute to find it.

Third, if there has been recent rainfall in the area, the little cascade can put on quite a show. But if the weather has been dry, it might look like this…

Even if the cascade is a trickle, the area at the base is interesting and fun.

Chasteen Creek Falls

Chasteen Creek Falls trailhead is located in Smokemont Campground, off Newfound Gap Road, in the south-central section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park at the far end of the campground loop and look for the gate next to Bradley Fork. Walk around the gate, and you’re on your way!

The trail is Bradley Fork Trail, an old road used for hiking and trail rides (horses, not vehicles). Keep your ears open for riders “sneaking up” on you. And when they pass you, watch where you step—horses tend to leave “gifts” on the trail.

At almost 2.0 miles in, you’ll come to some hitching posts, which may have horses tied to them. Just a few steps past the final hitching post, there is a small trail turning off to the right. This is the way. (That’s me pointing to it in the photo below.)

A short walk brings you to Chasteen Creek Falls. This is a pretty little waterfall, 15′ high and running for about 50′. It’s not steep or dramatic, but it is beautiful nonetheless.

As you near the end of this hike, Bradley Fork will be on your right. You’ll find a LOT of great photo opps here. (We were soaked by a rainstorm on this hike, but the sun eventually came out, and the steam rising off the water picked up the sun’s rays. Beautiful!

Pro Tip

• After your hike, you may find yourself in need of a restroom. Fear not – there are restrooms located in Smokemont Campground.

Fern Branch Falls

Fern Branch Falls is another of the Smoky Mountains waterfalls that most people don’t know about. Even if you’re looking for it, it’s easy to miss, especially when there hasn’t been much rain. We missed it twice before we found it.

The waterfall is located on Porter’s Creek Trail in the wonderful Greenbriar section of the park. Drive east past Gatlinburg on Highway 321 for 6 miles and turn left into Greenbriar. Then, drive straight for another 4 miles to the parking area at the end of the road. You’ll see the trailhead at the end of the parking area.

Porters Creek Trail is a wide, easy gravel trail with a bit of an incline. Along the way, you’ll pass a small, old cemetery with graves dating back to the early 1900s. Sadly, several of the graves are for children.

At one mile into the hike, you’ll arrive at a flat area – Porter’s Flat. If you like, you can veer off to the right and pick up Brushy Mountain Trail here. Walk a couple of hundred steps, and you discover the old Whaley homestead, as well as a cabin constructed in the 1930s by the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club.

Return to Porters Creek Trail (if you took the Brushy Mountain side excursion) and continue on. The trail is narrower, steeper, and rockier here. Fern Branch Falls will be about 0.4 miles ahead on your left.

As stated earlier, it’s easy to miss. There is not usually a great deal of water flow here, and you may find your attention is diverted to the deep gully on your right. (That’s what happened to us.)

Fern Branch Falls is 45′ high. The water seems to slide rather than fall down the rock face. There is the opportunity to do a bit of rock-scrambling here if you’d like to get a closer look. Just keep an eye out for wet, slippery rocks.

For those of you who love to walk and explore, about 1 mile to 1.5 miles up the trail is a series of cascades in Porter’s Creek. It’s a fun place to play, relax, and take photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Are these waterfalls worth the effort to get to them? Most of these falls are shorter and/or have less water volume than the better-known, more popular Smoky Mountains waterfalls. We would still recommend them, especially Midnight Hole and Mouse Creek Falls
• Are these waterfalls crowded? Usually not. Unlike Abrams Falls or Laurel Falls, these Smoky Mountains waterfalls are not well-known, and some are a bit out of the way.
• Can we swim at these waterfalls? You can wade and play in them, but Midnight Hole is the only one you can actually swim in.
• Are these waterfalls safe? Most waterfalls are safe until you begin to climb on them or swim in the pool at the base of the waterfall. Then, the risk of injury increases exponentially. Stay off slippery rocks and avoid swimming in water over your head, and you should be fine.

The Wrap-Up – 7 Great Smoky Mountains Waterfalls You’ve Never Heard Of

Most visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains visit all the same waterfalls – Abrams Falls, Grotto Falls, Laurel Creek Falls, Spruce Flats Falls – and so should you. Those falls are amazing!

But if you’ve already visited those or you just want something a little different, we suggest trying out these waterfalls you’ve probably never heard of. We enjoyed them and think you will, too!

Happy Hiking!

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