Laurel Falls Trail
Time to Hike: 1 hour, ~15 minutes
Waterfall
Lookout/Views
The Laurel Falls Trail at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, TN is a moderate heavily-trafficked 2.5 mile out-and-back hike from Fighting Creek Gap rd to Laurel Falls - one of the Smoky's most iconic waterfalls.
The hike is very dangerous as there are many places along the trail where there are 50 to 70 foot cliffs. Some of them are right by the waterfall itself where traffic tends to pile up, so be careful. On our hike out, a group of people did not move over for us and blocked the trail in multiple dangerous places - do not be these people. Trail etiquette and space is highly recommended because people have died hiking this trail.
All dangers aside, this is one of the best day hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains because it's not a difficult hike. The entire trail is paved up to Laurel Falls, but has fallen apart in certain areas, so watch your step.
Prepare for a ton of people here. This is one of the most popular hikes at the Smokys, so the trail is often littered with people. If you like hikes with less people, Spruce Flat Falls is a much better option and quite honestly is just as good as Laurel Falls.
Dogs and biking are not allowed here.
View more trails near Sevierville, TN
Surface Type
PavedSeason
SummerLoading...
Loading...
Note: Waypoints always include the parking location and trailhead. Campsites, waterfalls, and other points of interest are included in the GPX only if shown on the map.
3 Trip Reports
Before you leave...
MyHikes is an indie web platform aimed to make exploring public trails easier for everyone. The site has no investors and is owned and operated by one person, Dave Miller / Admin. We share trails, hikes, and backpacking trips on the interwebs for the fun of it and believe that public trail information should be free and accessible to the public.
It takes a lot of time 🕦, money 💰, and effort (including espresso shots ☕) to run MyHikes, including exploring , mapping , and publishing new trails with high-quality content, adding new site features, and site maintainance and moderating. We simply ask that if you find our content helpful or useful when planning your next adventure that you consider making a small donation to help keep the site running.
You can become a Supporter* (*MyHikes user account required) to unlock perks for as little as $0.83/month with a 1-time non-recurring payment 😎 Or you can simply Donate any amount without a MyHikes user account. Otherwise, telling your friends about MyHikes is the next-best thing to a donation - both quick and free 😄
Thanks for visiting MyHikes and have a great hike! ✌
- Dave
MyHikes Founder /
Admin