GSMNP Ramsey Cascades




Trail Name	GSMNP Ramsey Cascades
Park	Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Nearest City	Gatlinburg
State	Tennessee
Trail Marking	None
Trail Use/Features
Difficulty Rating	Hard
Hiking Time	2 Hours0.125 Days <br />120 Min <br />
Distance: round-trip/trail only	8.04 Mi12.939 km <br /> / 4.02 Mi6.47 km <br />
Trail Type	In-and-Out
Climb/Descent Elevation	2,644 Ft805.891 Meters <br /> / -435 Ft-132.588 Meters <br />
High Point	4,269 Ft1,423 Yards <br />1,301.191 Meters <br />
Parking	35° 42' 9.97" N, 83° 21' 26.17" W
Trailhead	35° 42' 9.97" N, 83° 21' 26.17" W
Nearest Medical	Sevierville
Trip Reports	Click Here


Show Large Map

Please help make this trail page better. Feel free to add anything you believe relevant, but this page has been flagged as needing the following work:

Winter photos
Remove prefixes in page name
Comment:winter waterfall pictures?

You can help by editing this page (Need any help? Read our editing tips! But seriously just edit and type - we can fix it later)

Trail Overview[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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.[edit]

No fee. Per NPS policy, no mountain bikes or dogs (if their owners cannot read the clearly posted signs).

After the Hike[edit]

Misc. Information[edit]

Be aware that black bears are in the area.

Maps[edit]

Photos[edit]

Trailhead
First bridge
Old growth poplars
Purple Fringed Orchid