Porters Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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The Porters Creek Trailhead is only about 7.3 miles from Ridge View Lodge and about 9.1 miles from Appalachian Escape.

Mile 0.0 – Trailhead (Elevation 2,050 ft)

Park at the Greenbrier entrance on the east side of the park. The wide, still-crowned gravel trace that rolls south is the original settler wagon road into Porters Creek valley. From the gate, the grade is a polite 2–4 %, ideal for a conversational warm-up. Hemlock, tulip poplar, and cucumber magnolia close ranks overhead; wintergreen and galax carpet the shoulders. If you’re here mid-March to mid-April, the first 300 yards are a yellow trillium (Trillium luteum) parade—thousands of lemon-candle blooms nodding above mottled leaves.

Mile 0.3 – First Creek Crossing

A wide ford (usually ankle-deep except after heavy rain) lets you wet boot soles if you miss the two flat stepping stones on the downstream side. Listen for waterthrush above the gurgle—its liquid trill is the valley’s soundtrack.

Mile 0.4 – Stone Walls & Cantrell Place

Two stacked-stone walls appear on the right, shoulder-high and chinked without mortar. They once penned Cantrell’s hogs and defined a 40-acre homestead cleared circa 1902. Elbert Cantrell sold chestnut rail ties to Little River Lumber until the blight arrived; after that, the forest reclaimed everything but these patient rectangles.

Mile 0.7 – Ownby Cemetery

A faint spur on the right leads 50 yards to 19 graves, most marked by unlettered fieldstones. The latest readable date is 1937. Look for the double stone for infant twins—an old-time remedy against “ghost walking” was to bury siblings together. Respect the iron fence; it’s original.

Mile 1.0 – Y-Junction & First Footbridge

Cross the 40-ft treated-timber bridge; the creek here slides over bedrock shelves thick with brook lettuce. Immediately after, the trail forks:

  • Right spur – 0.15 mile to the historic farmstead (see below).
  • Left – continuation of Porters Creek Trail toward Fern Branch Falls.

Historic Farmstead Detour (add 0.5 mile RT)

Follow the two-track spur uphill. At 250 yards, the clearing opens like a stage set:

  • Cantilevered Barn – 30 x 40 ft, built 1875 by John Whaley. Hand-hewn tulip poplar beams pegged with locust pins. The cantilever overhangs 8 ft, sheltering livestock from sideways rain. Note the double-hung hay door and hand-adzed sill logs.
  • Hiking Club Cabin – 16 x 20 ft chestnut-log cabin raised in 1934 by the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club. Interior sleeps six on two-tier bunks; the stone fireplace still draws. The park closed it to public overnight use in 1981 after repeated bear incidents. Peek through the plexi window—you’ll see the original tin stovepipe and graffiti from 1930s hikers (“Hazel & Ruby, 1938”).

Back at the Y-junction continue left. You’ll pass the Brushy Mountain Trail junction in 100 ft—bear left again. The road finally narrows to single-track dirt. Rhododendron tunnels close in, and the understory dims.

Mile 1.2 – Transition to Old-Growth

Notice that the tree diameters suddenly double. Tulip poplars 6–8 ft across at breast height tower 120 ft overhead. One giant yellow birch has a lightning scar spiraling 30 ft up its trunk like a candy cane.

Mile 1.6 – Second Footbridge & Wildflower Gallery

Cross another bridge, this one weathered gray. From here to the falls (0.4 mile) the forest floor becomes a living mosaic. Late-March itinerary:
• Bloodroot – white petals, orange sap.
• Hepatica – lavender, white, or rose forms.
• White fringed phacelia – drifts of pale blue.
• Violets – common blue and sweet white.
• Trillium grandiflorum – the big showy white.
By late April, the cast changes to yellow trillium, toothwort (Cardamine concatenata), wild geranium, May-apple umbrella leaves, dwarf ginseng’s lollipop heads, blue phlox, baneberry, foamflower, halberd-leaved violet, woodland bluets, and Jack-in-the-pulpit. Bring a macro lens—pollinating flies love the hooded pulpit’s warmth.

Mile 2.0 – Fern Branch Falls (Elevation 2,600 ft)

The trail bends left, and the gorge narrows. Suddenly, the creek plunges 60 ft in a two-tier drop. Upper tier fans 15 ft wide; the lower tier squeezes through a cleft and lands in a deep, clear pool. In high water (after 1″+ rain), the roar drowns conversation 100 yards away. In low flow, the falls separate into silky ribbons framed by maidenhair fern (hence the name). The base area is cobblestone; pick a flat rock for lunch. If you brought a filter, the pool above the falls is the last reliable water source for the next 1.7 miles.
Beyond the Falls – to Backcountry Campsite 31
The tread narrows, ascends 500 ft over 1.7 miles, and ends at the campsite spur (elev ~3,100 ft). A few day hikers continue; the path is faint but blazed. Expect solitude, grouse drumming in April, and bear scat—hang your food properly.

Logistics & Conditions

Distance: 4.0 miles RT to the falls; 6.7 miles if you tag the campsite.
Elevation gain: 550 ft to falls; 1,050 ft to campsite.
Surface: Gravel road first mile, then dirt single-track; muddy after rain.
Best seasons: Wildflowers late-March to May; fall color peak mid-October.
Winter: Road to Greenbrier rarely closes; the trail stays snow-free most years up to the falls. Micro-spikes suffice for any icy patches.
Water: Porters Creek at mile 0.3 and 1.6 (filter).
Bugs: May–June gnats, late summer mosquitoes near water.
Cell service: None after mile 0.2.
Leave No Trace: Pack out all trash; historic structures are fragile - do not climb or remove artifacts.
Bring binoculars for pileated woodpeckers and a small macro lens for spring ephemerals. Sunrise hits the falls around 9:30 a.m. in April—perfect for photos without crowds.