GSMNP Ramsey Cascades
|
Trail Overview
Located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a challenging hike up through classic forest to a ~100' cascading waterfall. Some massive old growth trees can also be seen.
How to get there
From Gatlinburg, TN:
- Take US321 North (actually heading east) out of town.
- Turn right into Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Greenbrier entrance.
- Travel just over four miles on road which changes from paved to gravel.
- Turn left to cross road bridge. NOTE: There is now a small directional sign here. Continuing straight arrives at GSMNP Porter Creek trailhead.
- Travel less than mile to parking area
Trailhead is past large boulders and locked gate.
Route Description
The trail follows a gravel logging road at first, then turns uphill to follow the stream to the waterfall.
Distance (mi) | Elevation (ft) | Description |
---|---|---|
0.0 | 2060 | Trailhead |
1.5 | 2660 | End of gravel section. Begin dirt tread. |
2.5 | 3235 | Three towering old growth tulip poplars. |
4.0 | 4310 | Ramsey Cascades |
Typical Conditions
National Park Service does trail maintenance primarily between May thru Nov, thus some blowdowns possible during the off-season. Can be very muddy after a significant rain.
Fees, Permits, etc.
No fee. Per NPS policy, no mountain bikes or dogs (if their owners cannot read the clearly posted signs).
After the Hike
Misc. Information
Be aware that black bears are in the area.
Maps
<googlemap version="0.9" lat="35.707" lon="-83.33" type="terrain" zoom="14" width="750" scale="yes" controls="medium" icons="http://tehcc.org/clubwiki/kml/marker{label}.png"> http://tehcc.org/clubwiki/kml/GSMNP_Ramsey_Cascades.kml (G) 35.70768,-83.38288 Turn left to cross this bridge (A) 35.70277,-83.35727 Parking at trailhead gate (L) 35.70294,-83.35674 First trail bridge (G) 35.70295,-83.33408 2.5 miles left sign (L) 35.70668,-83.32514 Second trail bridge (L) 35.70918,-83.31467 Third trail bridge (D) 35.70904,-83.32018 Three old growth poplars (C) 35.70855,-83.30013 Ramsey Cascades </googlemap>