Your Complete Guide to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

No trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is complete without a visit to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Roaring Fork (named for the creek that runs through it) has it all – creeks to admire and play in, hiking trails, waterfalls, historic homesteads, and…BEARS!

Multiple streams of water sliding down a rock face surrounded by vegetation

The scenic loop drive is 5.5 miles of winding road through a beautiful stretch of Smoky Mountains scenery. All along the drive, there are pullouts where you may park and take a walk, play in the creek with your family, or just enjoy the view.

Here is your complete guide to your Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.

Published September 30, 2024

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Directions to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

One big advantage of Roaring Fork is its proximity to Gatlinburg – it’s only 0.9 miles from Parkway, the main street through the heart of the town, a three-minute drive!

Map of Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Turn off Parkway onto Cherokee Orchard Road at traffic light #8 (all the traffic lights on Parkway are numbered), drive uphill to the “T” in the road, and turn left. Then, follow the signs.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Let’s get this scenic drive started! Here’s everything you need to know…

Noah “Bud” Ogle Homestead and Nature Trail

The first stop is the Noah “Bud” Ogle Homestead, built in the late 1800s. Bud Ogle was the great-grandson of William Ogle and Martha Huskey, the first people to settle in the Gatlinburg area.

The cabin consists of two main rooms which share a fireplace built into the dividing wall. There is also a barn next to the cabin.

Old log cabin from the Bud Ogle Nature Trails

Behind the cabin is the trailhead to the Bud Ogle Nature Trail, a 0.75-mile loop that winds through the woods. At the back of the loop is LeConte Creek, a pretty, peaceful stream. Sitting on its banks is an old water-driven mill.

This is a wonderful walk in the springtime when the wildflowers are in bloom!

Pro Tip

  • The nature trail is short, flat, and easy. However, it is rocky and rooty, especially on the backside. To protect your feet, we recommend wearing closed-toed shoes on this hike.

Rainbow Falls

Just up the road from the Bud Ogle Homestead is Rainbow Falls. This is the first of four waterfalls on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.

Rainbow Falls has its own parking lot, a large one, complete with a restroom. You’ll find the trailhead at the near end of the parking area.

People scrambling on boulders at the base of Rainbow Falls

The hike to the falls is 5.1 miles roundtrip and is rated “Moderate” by AllTrails.

At 75′, Rainbow Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is especially impressive following a heavy rainfall, often forming a rainbow. It’s also a great spot for rock-hopping and scrambling on the boulders at its base.

Pro Tip

  • There are actually two parking lots for Rainbow Falls. If the first is full, drive on for another minute to the second one. There is also roadside parking here. Please note there is no restroom in the second parking lot.

Baskins Creek Falls

Baskins Creek Falls is next on our adventure. The trailhead is 0.25 miles past the second Rainbow Falls Parking lot.

The 35-foot-high waterfall has two levels and is 3.2 miles roundtrip. AllTrails rates the hike to the falls as “Moderate.” However, the trail can be slippery—Mary Ellen and I both fell on it—TWICE!

Baskins Creek Falls is not as crowded as Rainbow Falls. You may have it all to yourself – we did, on our last trip there, except for a black bear that was hiking in front of us!

Baskins Creek Falls, spilling over into a ledge, then down to the base of the falls

Pro Tip

  • Parking is tricky for Baskins Creek Falls. There is a small pullout right in front of the trailhead, large enough for one large vehicle or maybe two smaller ones. There is also another parking pullout just a bit up the road. But if these are full, you’ll have to just continue driving because the road is one-way at this point.
  • We recommend parking in the second Rainbow Falls parking lot and walking the 0.25 miles to the trailhead. After parking, exit the parking lot and turn right. Then turn right through the gates onto Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and walk uphill to the trailhead on your left.

Grotto Falls

Now we come to Grotto Falls, just a few minutes drive from Baskins Creek Falls. Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail takes you right through the large parking lot. The National Park Service was also kind enough to build us a restroom here. (On one stop, we watched a mother bear and her three cubs stroll down the sidewalk!)

Jeff standing in the grotto behind Grotto Falls, with the water spilling down in front of him

The hike to Grotto Falls is pretty and pleasant – especially in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. You’ll be hiking Trillium Gap Trail to the falls. The trailhead is at the far end of the parking lot. The hike is only 2.6 miles roundtrip. AllTrails rates it as “Moderate”.

Grotto Falls is not the most impressive waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – it’s only 25′ high – but it is one of the most fun. It features a grotto behind the falls, enabling hikers to walk behind the water across to the other side. Photo opps!

Pro Tip

  • At the base of the falls, there is a small, shallow, naturally formed stone pool perfect for small children to play in. Many people dress their little ones in swimsuits so they can enjoy the pool. The hike is not too difficult for kids—we see them there every time we visit.

The Place of a Thousand Drips

The final waterfall on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail requires no hiking at all – it’s right on the road! The Place of a Thousand Drips is the most unusual sight on your drive – it is a sheer cascade of multiple streams sliding down the rock face.

NPS.gov refers to this spot as a “wet weather” waterfall. It is much more impressive following a heavy rain.

Many people only see The Place of a Thousand Drips as they drive past it. Others stop and do a bit of scrambling on the rocks. And some miss it altogether.

Be careful if you decide to do a bit of climbing – the rocks here are very slippery.

The Place of a Thousand Drips, with water cascading down in several streams

Pro Tip

  • Parking here is tricky. There is one parking pullout, big enough for only 3-4 vehicles. It is just past the falls on your right. Keep your eyes open – it sneaks up on you!
  • Also, drivers need to pay attention here. Tourists have a tendency to stand in the middle of the road here, taking photos, oblivious to oncoming traffic.
  • Tourists also need to pay attention. Drivers may not see you as they come around a blind, downhill curve. Please stay out of the road!

Alex Cole Cabin

Not only is the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail naturally beautiful, but it is also historically significant. The Alex Cole Cabin, the last remaining building from the Sugarlands community, was built by Alex Cole, a much sought-after mountain guide in the early 1900s.

Sign pointing to the Alex Cole cabin.
The Alex Cole cabin

Pro Tip

  • You will see the homestead on your right before you get to its entrance. Before you get to the cabin, there is a parking pullout on your left.
  • BONUS! At the entrance to the homestead, there is an area where you and your family can frolic in the creek—and who doesn’t love to frolic!

The Ephraim Bales Place

Ephraim and Minerva “Nervy” Bales, along with their nine children, lived in this cabin from around 1890 to 1930. They owned 72 acres, of which 30 were farmland, leaving the rest wooded.

This started out as a log cabin, and as they could afford it, siding was added to the exterior.

The old Ephraim Bales Place cabin
Small creek running behind the Ephraim Bales Place

Walk around to the back of the cabin, and you will find a barn, as well as a pretty little stream.

Ely’s Mill

Last stop! Ely’s Mill is a privately owned business that includes a small shop selling souvenirs, snacks, and soft drinks, a small building across the road featuring locally made goods, a blacksmith, and restrooms.

Ely's Mill, a old mill converted into a shop at the end of Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail where tourists can purchase snacks and souvenirs

In addition, Ely’s Mill has two rental cabins and even a spot for weddings!

A Few “Need to Knows…”

  • Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is open 9 AM-9 PM, 7 days/week.
  • The speed limit is 10 MPH.
  • This area is CROWDED, especially in the summer months. To avoid the traffic, consider coming early in the morning or a couple of hours before it closes.
  • It takes anywhere from 1.5 hours to 4 hours to drive Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, depending on the traffic, how often you stop, whether you hike while you’re here, etc…
  • Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is closed during the winter months due to hazardous driving conditions.
  • You can take your dog on the Motor Nature Trail, but it must remain in the car – dogs are not allowed to “hike” here – even on leashes.

The Verdict – Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

As I wrote at the beginning of this post, no trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is complete without a drive through Roaring Fork. It is more than worth your time—it is a “must-do” experience!

Have fun!

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Gateway Arch; Rocky Mountains rising above the clouds; two waterfalls pouring into a large pool

Jeff Powell

Jeff Powell is the Creator/CEO of two blogs - National Park Ventures and Smoky Mountains Ventures. He and his wife Mary Ellen are on a venture to visit every national park in the United States and share what they experience with their readers. Their goal is to help their readers "supersize" their own national park ventures.

Jeff and Mary Ellen have been married for 35 years. They have two sons, two grandkids, and two dogs. They live in a cabin in the mountains outside of Blue Ridge, GA.