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Directory of Trails by Difficulty Rating
Hiking in the Smokies can be challenging. Hiking a trail above your fitness level can make for a less than enjoyable day out on the trail. We have provided you with a list of trails sorted from easiest to hardest hikes based on a difficulty rating. This list can be used to help you find a trail that's better suited to your abilities.
Difficulty Rating Defined: a difficulty rating of less than 5 is generally considered to be an easy hike. Between 5 and 10 is moderate and anything over 10 is considered to be strenuous. Click here for a more detailed explanation in difficulty ratings while hiking in the Smokies.
By clicking on a trail name, you can get more detailed information, including trail descriptions, directions, key features, pictures, elevation profiles and maps. At this point, details for nearly 80% of all the hiking trails in this directory have been posted. The remainder of the hiking trails in the Smokies will be adding as I hike each of them.
R/T on the table heading below stands for round trip.
To get a general idea on the location of a hiking trail, check out our park map.
| Trail | Location | Trail Features | R/T Miles | Elevation Gain |
Difficulty Rating | ||||||
| Spruce-Fir Trail | Newfound Gap / Clingmans Dome | Spruce-Fir Forest | 0.4 | 25 | 0.40 | ||||||
| Toms Branch Falls | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Waterfalls | 0.6 | 47 | 0.69 | ||||||
| Juney Whank Falls | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Waterfalls | 0.5 | 194 | 0.89 | ||||||
| Indian Creek Falls | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Waterfalls | 1.9 | 150 | 2.20 | ||||||
| Laurel Falls | Elkmont | Waterfalls | 2.3 | 314 | 2.93 | ||||||
| Oconaluftee River Trail | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Stream | 3.0 | 70 | 3.14 | ||||||
| Grotto Falls | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Waterfalls | 2.6 | 585 | 3.77 | ||||||
| Schoolhouse Gap | Cades Cove / Townsend | Quiet Forest Hike / Wildflowers | 3.8 | 513 | 4.83 | ||||||
| Baskins Creek Falls | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Waterfalls | 3.0 | 953 | 4.91 | ||||||
| Big Creek / Mouse Creek Falls | Big Creek | Waterfalls | 4.0 | 580 | 5.16 | ||||||
| Flat Creek Falls | Balsam Mountain | Waterfalls | 4.0 | 600 | 5.20 | ||||||
| Andrews Bald | Newfound Gap / Clingmans Dome | Panoramic Views | 3.5 | 899 | 5.30 | ||||||
| Porters Creek Falls | Greenbrier / Cosby | Waterfalls / Stream / Flowers / Historical / Old Growth Forest | 4.0 | 699 | 5.40 | ||||||
| Hen Wallow Falls | Greenbrier / Cosby | Waterfalls | 4.4 | 900 | 6.20 | ||||||
| Kephart Prong Trail | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Stream / Historical | 4.2 | 955 | 6.11 | ||||||
| Abrams Falls | Cades Cove / Townsend | Waterfalls | 5.0 | 340 | 5.68 | ||||||
| Little River Trail | Elkmont | Stream / Wildflowers / Historical | 4.9 | 412 | 5.72 | ||||||
| Deep Creek Loop | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Waterfalls / Wildflowers | 4.6 | 579 | 5.76 | ||||||
| Meigs Mountain Trail | Elkmont | Quiet Forest Hike | 4.6 | 661 | 5.92 | ||||||
| Mingus Creek | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Historical | 4.5 | 748 | 6.00 | ||||||
| Rough Fork Trail | Balsam Mountain | Quiet Forest Hike | 5.2 | 600 | 6.40 | ||||||
| Alum Cave | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Views / Interesting Geological Features | 4.4 | 1125 | 6.65 | ||||||
| Chimney Tops | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Panoramic Views | 4.0 | 1350 | 6.70 | ||||||
| Husky Gap (Newfound Gap Rd) | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Quiet Forest Hike | 4.2 | 1240 | 6.68 | ||||||
| Kanati Fork Trail | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Wildflowers | 4.0 | 1495 | 6.99 | ||||||
| West Prong Trail | Cades Cove / Townsend | Quiet Forest Hike / Stream | 5.4 | 1375 | 8.15 | ||||||
| Cucumber Gap Loop | Elkmont | Stream / Wildflowers / Historical | 5.6 | 830 | 7.26 | ||||||
| Sugerland Mtn Trail (lower) | Elkmont | Quiet Forest Hike | 6.0 | 800 | 7.60 | ||||||
| Deep Creek Headwaters | Newfound Gap / Clingmans Dome | Stream | 5.0 | 1480 | 7.96 | ||||||
| Smokemont Loop | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Stream / Wildflowers / Forest | 6.5 | 1441 | 9.38 | ||||||
| Curry Mountain Trail | Elkmont | Quiet Forest Hike | 6.4 | 1164 | 8.73 | ||||||
| Meigs Creek | Elkmont | Stream | 7.0 | 800 | 8.60 | ||||||
| Sugarland Mountain Trail | Newfound Gap / Clingmans Dome | Views / Solitude | 7.0 | 1090 | 9.18 | ||||||
| Rainbow Falls | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Waterfalls | 5.4 | 1685 | 8.77 | ||||||
| AT - Jump Off | Newfound Gap / Clingmans Dome | Panoramic Views | 6.5 | 1275 | 9.05 | ||||||
| Boogerman Loop | Cataloochee | Historical / Streams / Flowers / Old Growth Forest | 7.4 | 1040 | 9.48 | ||||||
| Bullhead Trail | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Views / Interesting Geological Features | 5.9 | 1607 | 9.11 | ||||||
| Twentymile Loop | Fontana Village | Stream | 7.5 | 900 | 9.30 | ||||||
| Balsam High Point | Balsam Mountain | Views | 7.0 | 1217 | 9.43 | ||||||
| Mt. Sterling | Big Creek | Views | 5.6 | 2000 | 9.60 | ||||||
| Albright Grove | Greenbrier / Cosby | Old Growth Forest / Wildflowers / Historical | 7.0 | 1500 | 10.00 | ||||||
| Lumber Ridge Trail | Cades Cove / Townsend | Quiet Forest Hike / Solitude | 8.1 | 1524 | 11.15 | ||||||
| Brushy Mountain | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Views / Wildflowers / Falls | 6.8 | 1745 | 10.29 | ||||||
| Noland Divide | Newfound Gap / Clingmans Dome | Views / Forest Diversity | 7.2 | 1679 | 10.56 | ||||||
| Fork Ridge Trail | Newfound Gap / Clingmans Dome | Old Growth Spruce-Fir Forest / Wildflowers | 8.0 | 1500 | 11.00 | ||||||
| Shuckstack | Fontana Village | Views / Wildflowers | 7.0 | 2120 | 11.24 | ||||||
| Cove Mountain | Elkmont | Waterfalls / Old Growth Forest | 7.7 | 1776 | 11.25 | ||||||
| Lonesome Pine Overlook | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Views | 6.7 | 2300 | 11.30 | ||||||
| Charlies Bunion | Newfound Gap / Clingmans Dome | Panoramic Views | 8.1 | 1640 | 11.38 | ||||||
| Chestnut Top | Cades Cove / Townsend | Views / Wildflowers | 8.6 | 1486 | 11.57 | ||||||
| Ace Gap | Cades Cove / Townsend | Quiet Forest / Wildflowers | 11.0 | 400 | 11.80 | ||||||
| Rich Mountain Loop | Cades Cove / Townsend | Views / Wildflowers / Historical | 8.5 | 1736 | 11.97 | ||||||
| Husky Gap (Little River Trail) | Elkmont | Stream / Wildflowers / Historical | 10.0 | 1080 | 12.16 | ||||||
| Middle Prong | Cades Cove / Townsend | Cascading Stream | 8.2 | 2074 | 12.35 | ||||||
| Big Fork Ridge Loop | Cataloochee | Old Growth Forest / Historical | 9.3 | 1800 | 12.90 | ||||||
| Ramsay Cascades | Greenbrier / Cosby | Waterfalls / Old Growth Forest | 8.0 | 2375 | 12.75 | ||||||
| Silers Bald | Newfound Gap / Clingmans Dome | Panoramic Views | 9.3 | 2152 | 13.60 | ||||||
| Chasteen Creek | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Stream / Waterfalls | 10.0 | 2499 | 15.00 | ||||||
| Newton Bald | Cherokee / Deep Creek | Quiet Forest Hike / Views | 10.0 | 2800 | 15.60 | ||||||
| Spence Field (via Lead Cove) | Cades Cove / Townsend | Panoramic Views | 9.4 | 3100 | 15.60 | ||||||
| Mt. LeConte (via Alum Cave) | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Panoramic Views | 11.0 | 2763 | 16.53 | ||||||
| Spence Field (Anthony Creek) | Cades Cove / Townsend | Panoramic Views | 10.3 | 2842 | 15.98 | ||||||
| Mt. Cammerer | Greenbrier / Cosby | Panoramic Views | 12.0 | 2470 | 16.94 | ||||||
| Gregory Bald | Cades Cove / Townsend | Panoramic Views / Flame Azalea / Old Growth Forest | 11.3 | 3020 | 17.34 | ||||||
| Hemphill Bald Loop | Balsam Mountain | Panoramic Views / Old Growth Forest | 13.7 | 2170 | 18.04 | ||||||
| Spence / Russell Field Loop | Cades Cove / Townsend | Panoramic Views | 13.3 | 3050 | 19.40 | ||||||
| Rocky Top / Thunderhead | Cades Cove / Townsend | Panoramic Views | 13.9 | 3665 | 21.23 | ||||||
| Mt. LeConte (via Trillium Gap) | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Panoramic Views / Waterfalls | 13.9 | 3401 | 20.70 | ||||||
| Mt. LeConte (Rainbow Falls) | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Panoramic Views / Waterfalls | 13.8 | 3993 | 21.79 | ||||||
| Mt. LeConte (via Bullhead) | Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte | Panoramic Views | 14.4 | 3993 | 22.39 | ||||||