After our strenous 8-mile hike on Tuesday, we opted for a low key hike on Wednesday. However, this hike was far from low key as it was absolutely stunning when we arived to the waterfall. We arrived to the parking lot around 10am (after getting a little lost - we drove right by the parking lot and didn't realize it until a few miles later on a packed gravel road). The hike to the falls took us 37 minutes. We took our time to enjoy the views. It took us 28 minutes to return to the parking lot. The trail was very quiet (not overcrowded with people) and not too technical. The last 0.3 miles were actually downhill (and a little rugged with rocks) as we approached the falls. This was the only technical area. When we arrived to the waterfall, there were only 2 other people there so it was practically our own little oasis. We spent 30 minutes at the falls - taking pictures, eating a snack and Karel took a dip in the lagoon. I loved this waterfall as the sun was peaking through the trees and casted a beautiful glow on the pool of water under the falls. The water was not as cold as it was at Ramsey Cascades waterfall - Karel said the water was refreshing. There were several places to sit and enjoy the falls. By the time we left the falls, it was getting rather busy with families, so we timed it right. I really enjoyed all of the trees with exposed roots and the scenic view that surprised us around midway. It took us 65 minutes to hike the 1.4 miles and with a 30 minute stop to enjoy the falls, we spent around 1 hour and 35 minutes on this trail. This is a popular area for tubbing so if you enjoy that type of activity (or have kids) be sure to look into tubing in the Townsend area. There are also a lot of quaint shops around the Townsend area and it's much less touristy compared to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. We really enjoyed the drive to Townsend/Tremont from our cabin in Sevierville.
Quick Stats: Name of trail: Spruce Flats Falls (located in Tremont)
Waterfall: Yes (along with a pool-like lagoon on the bottom)
Distance: 1.4 miles round trip
Parking: Paved parking lot at the Great Smoky Mountain Institute (the parking lot was closed due to COVID but there was another paved parking lot across the street).
Elevation gain: ~800 feet
Difficulty: Moderate, not too technical
Here are some pictures of our 1.4-mile hike. To learn more about the Spruce Flats Falls,
check out this link.
