Great Smoky Mountains National Park has no shortage of great hiking trails. In this park you’ll find everything from short one mile trails to an entire section of the 2,000+ mile Appalachian Trail. Avid hikers will no doubt enjoy this park. While the Porters Creek Trail isn’t one of the most epic trails in the park, it definitely has its merits.
The Porters Creek Trail is a 7 to 8 mile out and back trail that takes you along the Porters Creek, past a waterfall and up to Peak #31. I say 7 to 8 miles because there was some serious debate in my group about how much we actually hiked. AllTrails lists the trail as about seven miles but of the five people on my hike tracking it, four logged eight miles or more. Regardless, it’s a longer trail that will take some more effort.
Why Should You Hike Porters Creek Trail?
For me the best reason to hike this trail is to get away from the crowds. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited park in the United States and in some areas of the park, you definitely feel it. The trail to Laurel Falls was packed! But other areas of the park can feel delightfully uncrowded. The Porters Creek Trail was one of them.
This hike does pass by a waterfall, specifically the Fern Branches Waterfall. While it’s nice, it didn’t feel as magnificent as some of the other waterfalls at Great Smoky Mountains (Abram’s Falls comes to mind).
Why Should You Skip Porters Creek Trail?
The Porters Creek Trail is about the journey, not the destination. This is an out and back trail and as far as end points go, the Porters Creek Trail is kinda lame. There’s a post, marking peak #31 and beyond that is a few campsites. Other than that, there isn’t much scenery at the end, which can leave you feeling like you put in a lot of effort for very little reward.
While there were only a handful of sections of the trail that truly felt steep, the trail out to Peak #31 is a nearly constant uphill climb. I logged nearly 1600 feet of elevation gain in total on this hike and almost all of it was in the first half of the hike. I felt like I got a decent workout on this hike (as I live in Wisconsin where our highest point is only 1900 feet above sea level), so don’t expect this to be an easy hike (although I don’t know if I’d consider this strenuous).
Hiking the Porters Creek Trail
The Porters Creek Trail trail starts out on a wide gravel path. This is the easiest part of the hike. Yes, you’ll be climbing but the first mile is the easiest of the climb. We kept a really good pace through the first mile and a half and were shocked at how easy it felt. But make no mistake, you’re still climbing uphill.
After about two miles, you’ll hit Fern Branches Waterfall. As silly as it sounds, it can be easy to miss. So easy to miss that my group started this hike with the intention of visiting the waterfall (but then continuing on since we couldn’t do our first hike of the day). All five of us walked right past the waterfall, completely oblivious to the fact it was even there. Thankfully, on the way back, we found what we came out here to see.
We came across a small creek crossing but decided to wait for the rest of the group to catch up. It was at that point I looked over, saw the waterfall and went “huh, I wonder if that’s what we were supposed to be hiking to?”. The answer was yes and all of us were just unobservant. So, after about two miles, you’ll likely come to a stream crossing. Look to your left and you’ll find a tall waterfall.
Beyond the waterfall, the hike meanders up for another two miles until you reach Peak #31. Admittedly, the end destination isn’t anything too special. However, I did enjoy the fact that we had the trail almost entirely to ourselves. As we climbed, we heard the Porters Creek flowing down below us and we even got a few peaks through the trees.
At Peak #31, turn around and retrace your steps back to your car. And if you missed the waterfall the first time, make sure to keep an eye out!
Trail Stats
As mentioned earlier, I hiked this trail in a group. All five of us tracked the hike and all five of us ended up with vastly different mileage ranging from 7.5 miles to 8.5 miles. Meanwhile, the route we followed on AllTrails says the hike is only 7 miles. So, I’m not entire sure how much mileage we actually did, but I can say that we followed the trail and never detoured.
I logged 7.68 miles and 1,578 feet of elevation gain (although it’s important to note I had one of the lowest mileages of the group). We completed this trail in 3 hours and 45 minutes, including our stop at the waterfall and a few photo stops. It should be noted that we took very few breaks, so your hike may take longer.
Getting to the Porters Creek Trail
Compared to other areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, getting to the Porters Creek Trail is easy. However, it does depend where you are based for your trip. For visitors up near Sevierville, it’s a piece of cake because you can avoid the entire Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg area (and all of the traffic that comes with it). The trailhead is located in the Greenbrier area of Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
My biggest note is that once you turn off of Highway 321, you’ll be on a narrow gravel road. Go slow and be cautious of other drivers. As we left our hike, we occasionally had to stop and work with oncoming traffic as the road just barely fit two cars.
Entry to Great Smoky Mountains
There is no entry fee to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Parking at Great Smoky Mountains
While the entry to Great Smoky Mountains is free, you do need to have a valid parking pass. Parking used to be free, but March 2023 saw the introduction of the “Park It Forward” program. So now, visitors must pay to park anywhere at Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Whether you are at a visitor center, an overlook, or a remote trailhead, you must have a valid parking permit.
Permits can be purchased from automated vending machines throughout the park. You’ll find them at Visitor Centers and other high trafficked areas.
The parking fee is $5 per vehicle per day, or $15 per vehicle per week. As a note, the pass is not transferable and is tied the license plate of your vehicle. Before you go to one of the machines, make sure you know the license plate (especially if you’re driving a rental car!).
It is important to note that any inter-agency pass, such as the America the Beautiful pass, does NOT cover the parking fee. Even if you have an America the Beautiful (or similar pass), you will need to purchase a parking permit from one of the machines.
When to Hike the Porters Creek Trail
The Porters Creek Trail is available to hike all year round. Summers can be down right hot. Additionally, the summer months are the busiest. I hiked in December (on New Year’s Eve Day). We had pleasant weather and minimal crowds (in the Greenbrier area–other areas of the park were very busy). That said, I think we hit an anomaly with the weather. Two days earlier, we hiked the Abram’s Falls Trail with snow flurries flying.
For those looking for a balance between good weather and crowds, I’d look to late spring or in fall.
Final Thoughts
The Porters Creek Trail offers a nice hike through the woods and features a waterfall. However, I definitely feel like this is a hike where you have to accept that it’s more about the journey than the destination. I enjoyed this hike, but it wasn’t my favorite of the four I did at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but it was my second favorite, and that has to count for something.
Continue Your Adventure
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Learn about the best things to do at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visit one of the beautiful waterfalls or drive the Cades Cove Scenic Drive. Use this two day itinerary to catch a lot of the highlights. Learn more with my Great Smoky Mountains Travel Guide.
More in Appalachia: For more hiking in the Appalachia region of the United States, consider visiting Shenandoah National Park in Virginia or New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. For a break from hiking, head to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
US National Parks: Start planning your national park vacation with my US National Park Travel Guide. You’ll find information about each park, photos, itineraries, and everything you need to start planning your trip.