Great Smoky Mountains National Park · North Carolina, Tennessee

Abrams Falls Trail

4.2 mi of trail, end to end · Hike to Abrams Falls: 5 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · about 300 ft of climbing · 750 ft of descent · 1,277 ft–1,739 ft · native surface · trail class Developed

Waterfalls

1,704 ft 1,277 ft · 4.1 mi high 1,735 ft

Along the way Abrams Falls

Trailhead Abrams Falls Trail Trailhead 1,708 ft Drive there

Hike to Abrams Falls 5 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up

no dogs · entrance fee applies

Start Trailhead located on 11-mile, one-way Cades Cove Loop Road

Waterfall flows over rocks and pours into greenish colored pool with rocks and shrubs around it.
Hike 5 miles (8 km) roundtrip from the Abrams Falls Trailhead in Cades Cove. Photo: Bob Carr Photo

Overview

Abrams Falls trail will be closed Mondays through Thursdays from August 24 to September 30 so that the park can replace aging footlog bridges and improve visitor safety. During construction the trail will remain open to hikers Fridays through Sundays , and on Labor Day.

Swimming is strongly discouraged due to slippery rocks and a deadly undertow

Walk 5 miles (8 km) roundtrip through rhododendron, hemlock, and pine-oak forest in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to a 25-foot (7.6-m) waterfall that flows over a ledge of sandstone into a deep, picturesque pool. This trail is also known for its spring wildflowers.

Length

5 miles (8 km) roundtrip

Parking & Trailhead

After driving roughly halfway around the one-way Cades Cove Loop Road , park at the Abrams Falls Trailhead at the end of Abrams Falls Road (between loop road sign posts 10 and 11). Don't forget your parking tag .

Nearest Restroom

Pit toilet at the trailhead (available year-round)

Alternate Hikes

Deep Creek Waterfall Loop : 2.4 miles (3.9 km) roundtrip

Lynn Camp Prong Cascades : 1.4 miles (2.3 km) roundtrip

West Prong: 5.4 miles (8.7 km) roundtrip

Pets The Gatlinburg Trail and Oconaluftee River Trail are the two park trails where pets are permitted. Pets are also allowed in picnic areas, in campgrounds, and on roads.

Accessibility Trail has occasional obstacles of roots and rocks.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

Other trails from the Abrams Falls Trail Trailhead

All 244 trails in Great Smoky Mountains National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.