Do you want to hike the Laurel Falls Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Great choice! This is one of the most popular hiking trails in the entire park, and it’s easy to see why.
With its short length (2.6 miles roundtrip to the falls), prime location, and massive reward (an 80-foot waterfall!), Laurel Falls Trail is easily one of the most hiked trails in Great Smoky Mountains.
Before you hike to Laurel Falls, there are some things you should know. As a local, and someone who’s hiked this trail many times, I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about the Laurel Falls Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
In this guide, you’ll learn all about the parking situation, upcoming trail renovations, and exactly what to expect as you hike this trail from start to finish.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on the links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks so much for your support!
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK AT A GLANCE
Before diving in, here are a few highlights for planning a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- Getting There: The closest airport to Great Smoky Mountains is McGhee Tyson, which is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Find affordable flights here.
- Entrance Fee: No entrance fee but you do have to purchase and display a parking pass.
- Where to Stay: Camp in the park or stay right outside the park in the town of Gatlinburg or Cherokee. Read my detailed Where to Stay guide!
- How to Get Around: You’ll need to rent a personal vehicle to get around the Smokies.
- Best Time to Visit: March – October
- How Long to Visit: 3-5 days
Laurel Falls Trail Guide: Great Smoky Mountains
IMPORTANT: The Laurel Falls Trail will be CLOSED until 2027. See alternative trails in my blog post here.
Parking Information & Fees
The parking lot situation at Laurel Falls is not great, but here’s why. This trail was first cut in 1932 to provide fire crews with access to the fire tower that’s located 2 miles beyond Laurel Falls. That way, in the event of a forest fire, there was quick access to Cove Mountain.
However, once visitors started flocking to the falls in the 1960s, the parking lot and trail couldn’t handle the heavy volume of traffic. Erosion started occurring rapidly. More on that in the next section.
Parking Tag
To park at Laurel Falls (or anywhere in Great Smoky Mountains National Park), you’re going to need to display a parking tag on your vehicle’s dashboard. You can read my full guide on the Smokies parking tag program here.
Parking Rules
The Laurel Falls trailhead parking lot only holds 28 vehicles (no RVs). There is parking on both sides of the road.
Unless you arrive before 8 AM, you probably won’t get one of those 28 spots. So you do have some other options.
If you’re okay with tacking on some extra mileage to your hike, you can park at one of the two other parking areas near Laurel Falls:
- Shoulder Parking. Roughly 0.2 miles past the trailhead (heading toward the Elkmont Campground) is a shoulder that holds up to 15 vehicles. This is where you’d want to park if you’ve got an RV, a trailer, or an oversized vehicle.
- Overlook Parking. 0.2 miles past the trailhead (heading toward the Visitor Center) is another small parking area. It holds roughly 15-20 vehicles.
Only park in designated spots. Do NOT park in the roadway, side of the road, grass, etc. You will be ticketed and/or towed. I’ve witnessed rangers ticketing vehicles many times!
Upcoming Trail Closure Info
The Laurel Falls Trail is closed until 2027 while the park service renovates the parking area and repaves the trail.
The trail is in poor condition. Around 375,000 visitors hike to Laurel Falls annually, and over time, the trail pavement has severely eroded. The park service will be repaving the path from the trailhead to Laurel Falls, which is 1.3 miles.
As I mentioned in the first section, the parking situation is a nightmare. Only 28 vehicles can fit at the trailhead, so visitors take it upon themselves to make up their own spaces. They park illegally on the road, side of the road, and grass, which blocks traffic and barricades vehicles. So the park service will be renovating the parking lot. While I’m not sure exactly what their plans are, I assume they will be expanding the lot and allowing more cars to be able to park at the trailhead.
Dogs
Dogs are not allowed on the Laurel Falls Trail! Dogs are only allowed on two hiking trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park: the Gatlinburg Trail (located behind the Sugarlands Visitor Center) and the Oconaluftee River Trail (located behind the Oconaluftee Visitor Center).
If you’re looking for dog-friendly things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, check out my guide!
Know Before You Go
To summarize, here are some quick things to note before you go (along with some tips/advice):
- Strollers and wheelchairs are not recommended. The path was once paved, but it’s cracked in so many spots that I wouldn’t consider it an accessible trail anymore.
- The river crossings have footbridges or paths, so you won’t get wet on this trail. That being said, after heavy rains, streams could flood the paths.
- Dogs are NOT allowed on this trail.
- Parking is extremely limited. Arrive early or late. (Before 8 AM or after 4 PM, if you can).
- There are steep drop-offs on this trail, so watch your children and use caution. Falling deaths have occurred.
- Laurel Falls Trail will soon be closing for 18 months for parking lot renovation and trail repaving.
- Hike this in May to see the mountain laurel that pops up along the trail! Psst: that’s how the falls got its name!
- Go early in the morning or late in the day for the best photos. The sun shines on the falls quite harshly during midday.
- Just like in many areas of the Smokies, black bears are known to linger on the trail. Read more about black bears in the Smoky Mountains in my full guide here.
Getting to the Trailhead
The Laurel Falls trailhead is located on Little River Gorge Road (also called Fighting Creek Gap Road) between the Sugarlands Visitor Center and the road to Elkmont Campground.
The Laurel Falls trailhead is 3.5 miles west of the Sugarlands Visitor Center and about 1 mile east of the road to Elkmont Campground.
Get Google Maps directions to the Laurel Falls trailhead here.
Laurel Falls Trail Description
FALLS ONLY:
- Length: 2.6 miles
- Elevation Gain: 403 feet
- Type of Trail: Out & back
- Difficulty: Easy
FALLS WITH FIRE TOWER:
- Length: 8 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1,876 feet
- Type of Trail: Out & back
- Difficulty: Moderate
The Laurel Falls Trail starts behind the parking area on the north side of the street. If you’re coming from the Sugarlands Visitor Center, the trailhead will be on your right.
The path from the trailhead to Laurel Falls is “paved.” I use the term loosely because it was once paved, but now the pavement is cracked so badly in so many places that I hesitate to say it’s paved.
From the trailhead, you’ll climb steadily for about a mile. The path feels narrow at times, especially with the cracked pavement, so use caution when hikers are coming the opposite way. Uphill hikers have the right-of-way. Read more about trail etiquette here.
As you climb to Laurel Falls, notice the beautiful view of the mountain peaks on your left. About halfway through the hike, the trees open up to a really great overlook of Little River Gorge.
As you approach Laurel Falls, the trail will level out for the last 0.2 miles or so. The cliffs are extra steep in this area, especially around the falls. Always use caution, pay attention to your steps, and watch your children.
Laurel Falls
Once you arrive at the waterfall, the fun begins! And don’t worry; you’ll know exactly when you arrive because there will be a log footbridge standing between the upper and lower falls.
You might look at the falls and think, “Hmmm…this doesn’t look like it’s 80 feet tall.” And you’re right, it isn’t!
Laurel Falls is separated into two waterfalls: an upper and a lower. The upper falls is 20 feet tall while the lower drops 60 feet. Voila, 80 feet!
Upper Laurel Falls
Upper Laurel Falls drops about 20 feet and is viewable from the log footbridge. This is the waterfall that you’ve likely seen photos of!
The railings attached to the footbridge help with fall prevention but you’ll still need to watch your step; it can get slippery up there. You can step off the footbridge and walk around the boulder slabs. Just be careful! The cliffs are steep, and the boulders are slick.
This waterfall is spectacular because it feels like it’s in your face. You can pretty much walk right up to it. Make sure to snap lots of photos!
Lower Laurel Falls
While Lower Laurel Falls drops a whopping 60 feet and is viewable from the footbridge (you have to look down), the best view is from below.
To get to the bottom of Lower Laurel Falls, you’ll need to climb down some rocks.
There isn’t an official path to get down there, so you are free to get creative! But I’ll share my path with you, just in case you’re hesitant. I take the route right before the footbridge (it’s on the left when you’re heading toward the falls). The path is steep and nearly vertical at times but is still doable, especially for those who are in good physical condition.
I love this part of Laurel Falls! Just like the upper, you can get extremely close to Lower Laurel Falls. The pool beneath the falls is also a great swimming hole in the summer! But unlike Upper Laurel Falls, Lower Laurel Falls is usually less crowded because not as many people want to venture down the rocks. The exception would be summer afternoons; crowds flock to this swimming hole to beat the heat.
Take your time scrambling along the rocks and snap lots of photos! Take a dip in the water if it’s warm enough!
Back to the Trailhead or Up to the Fire Tower?
Once you’ve explored the falls, you have two options:
- Head back the way you came. 1.3 miles back down to the trailhead.
- Continue up to Cove Mountain Fire Tower. 2.8 miles up to the fire tower.
Back to the Trailhead
If you’re not feeling extra ambitious and/or you have other trails on your list that you’re dying to check off during the same day, continue back the way you came. Since you conquered the elevation on the way up, you’ll get to breeze down to the trailhead. It’s all downhill – in a good way!
Remember to appreciate how stunning the mountains look on your way back down! The views of the peaks are even better going down, in my opinion.
Cove Mountain Fire Tower
Many people don’t know that the Laurel Falls Trail continues past Laurel Falls! In fact, it continues for another *almost* 3 miles! And it goes someplace spectacular – to a fire tower!
The trail from Laurel Falls to Cove Mountain is quite different from the trailhead to Laurel Falls. Why? First, no crowds! 95% of hikers will turn around at Laurel Falls and head back to the trailhead. Also, you will no longer be hiking on a paved path, and you’ll no longer be gradually climbing. You’ll be climbing at a sharper incline on a more rugged path! But that’s all part of the adventure.
To put it into perspective, you only gain around 400 feet of elevation from the trailhead to Laurel Falls (in 1.3 miles). From the falls to the fire tower, you’ll gain an extra 1400+ feet! (in nearly 3 miles).
Past Laurel Falls, you’ll leave the crowds behind as you climb for around 1.8 miles. At this point, you’ll reach the Little Greenbrier junction. Continue straight on the Laurel Falls Trail. In one mile, you’ll reach the Cove Mountain Trail junction. Turn left, and you’ll arrive at the fire tower in less than 0.1 miles!
This 60-foot tower is one of only four fire towers left in the Smokies. It’s no longer used for monitoring forest fires, but the NPS has transformed it into an air quality monitoring station. So unfortunately, hikers are not allowed to access the tower. There’s not a spectacular view from the summit (it’s kind of underwhelming), but it’s a nice hike.
PRO TIP: If you’re looking for a fire tower with an excellent view, check out Mount Cammerer!
Once you’re ready to head back to the trailhead, hike back the way you came. Turn right onto the Laurel Falls Trail and follow it all the way back down to the parking lot. The trailhead will come into view in 4 *short* miles!
Leave No Trace
As always, respect the landscape by packing your trash out. NEVER litter.
Always follow these 7 Leave No Trace Principles:
- Plan Ahead & Prepare
- Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Others
Read more about Leave No Trace and how you can do your part to protect these natural spaces here.
Plan Your Trip to the Smokies
No matter which season you’ll be visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I’ve got guides to help you plan your trip!
- Smoky Mountains in the Winter
- Smoky Mountains in the Spring
- Smoky Mountains in the Summer
- Smoky Mountains in the Fall
Discover Your Next Adventure
Where to next? I’ve got some suggestions!
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