Roaring Forks: 11 Reasons To Visit

Wildlife, Waterfalls, & Wandering On Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail

Everyone wants to see at least one black bear when visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Most start their search in Cades Cove, and I did too, but after 2 trips to the cove and zero luck, I turned to google. If you search, “the best place to spot bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park” you will find Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail close to the top of the list. But that’s not the only reason you should visit this motor road. Find out why you need to visit Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail below…

Read These For More On Great Smoky Mountains: 

One Day In Cherokee, NC

The Complete Guide To Cades Cove

Is Great Smoky Mountain Dog Friendly?

Best Dog Friendly Hikes In The Smokies 

The Ghost Town In The Smokies 

This Semi-Secluded Waterfall 

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The Basics:

On my first trip to the Smokies, my AirBNB had a Sevierville address but was much closer to Gatlinburg. As I mentioned above, when I googled the best places to spot bears within the park, Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail was second on the list. It fit the bill and, quite honestly, it was one of my favorite mornings of the trip.  

Where Is Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail?:

Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail is located close to Gatlinburg. 

Mileage to Roaring Fork:

• Gatlinburg – 1 mile 
• Pigeon Forge – 8.9 mile
• Townsend, TN – 30 miles 
• Cherokee, NC – 35 miles 

Directions To Roaring Fork: 

• Turn off the main parkway in Gatlinburg, TN at traffic light #8 and follow Historic Nature Trail Road to the Cherokee Orchard entrance to the national park
• Just beyond the Rainbow Falls trailhead, you have the option of taking the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. 

What Is The Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail?

The trail is a 5.5 mile, one lane, one-way route that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your vehicle. 

How Long Will It Take To Drive Roaring Forks?: 

It depends on your pace, but give yourself at least an hour. It takes about an hour because you will, without a doubt, want to get out of your car to take some photos. Be aware that this will be slow going when the trail is crowded and honestly, I probably went slower than most, having the trail entirely to myself. 

I was looking for bears too so I was going incredibly slow! 

How Did Roaring Forks Get Its Name?

The motor nature trail gets its name from an exuberant mountain stream. That’s right, the entire nature trail follows the Roaring Forks Stream.  Roaring forks is one of the largest and the fastest moving stream in the park. You will understand the name shortly after entering the trail because you can hear the water roaring below. 

Tip:

If you visit in the Spring or right after a good rain storm you really get the full effect of Roaring Forks Stream. 

Know Before You Go: Great Smoky Mountains Edition 

• The park has no entrance fees or entrance gates
• It is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year 
• Keep in mind secondary road closures happen often in the winter months
• Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail is closed in the winter 
• Please note that buses, trailers, and motor homes are not permitted on the motor nature trail
• Be bear aware when doing anything inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park 
• Elk can be found on the North Carolina side of the park, usually around the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Find out more about elk viewing here. 
• For wildlife viewing, especially in Cades Cove or on Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail it’s a good idea to bring binoculars, a spotting scope, and if you are interested in photography a telephoto lens

Did You Know?: Great Smoky Mountains Edition

Do you know the reason the park has no entrance fee?

The reason dates back to the 1930s because the land that is now Great Smoky Mountains was actually privately owned. The states of Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as local communities, paid to construct Newfound Gap Road. One of my absolute favorite drives in the park is on Newfound Gap Road, the views are amazing! 

When Tennessee handed over their land to the federal government, they stipulated that “no toll or license fee shall ever be imposed…” to travel Newfound Gap Road. And since that road is a main artery to get from Tennessee to North Carolina, well there are no fees to enter the park! North Carolina decided to hand the land over through abandonment and because of that there are no restrictions. 

Now, let’s jump into 10 reasons you need to visit Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail on your next visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park…

11 Reasons To Visit Roaring Forks

1. The Perfect Location – 

The Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail is only about 21 minutes from downtown Gatlinburg. Making it an easy drive for most visitors to the park. My Airbnb was only about 18 minutes from the trail, which made it really convenient. Like most National Parks the Smokies encompass 520,000 acres making things a bit spread out.

While Cades Cove is a bit of a drive for most staying in the Smokies, Roaring Forks is in a much more central location.

2. View Cascades From Your Car – 

If you are not in the mood to hike, have no fear, you can see several gorgeous waterfalls and/or cascades from the motor nature trail. It’s named Roaring Forks for a reason, as the trail follows the Roaring Forks stream, which is one of the fastest flowing streams inside the park.

You can view the natural beauty of the trail from your car. That’s right, no hiking required to take in these gorgeous views! However, if you are interested in hiking there are plenty of trails off of Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail. Also, I suggest getting out of your car to take some photos if that’s an option for you.

3. Chase Some Waterfalls – 

Some of the park’s most beloved and impressive waterfall hikes are right off Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail.  These include Rainbow Falls and Grotto Falls, two of the most popular hikes in this area. 

Rainbow Falls –

• Distance: 5.5 miles 
• Rating: Hard
• Elevation Gain: 1,617 ft 

Rainbow Falls is technically right before the start of the Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail, but close enough, right? This out and back trail offers a spectacular waterfall at the end. It’s rating has recently been bumped from moderate to difficult. 

Tips – 

• This is one of, if not the, most popular hike in the park. Get here early because people park about a mile from the trailhead along with the road mid-day
• Give yourself about 3.5 hours to complete the hike 
• Like most waterfall hikes, this is a constant climb 
• Make sure to hydrate on this hike
• This is a steady incline and some even describe it as the steepest they’ve encountered

Grotto Falls – 

• Distance: 2.6 miles 
• Rating: Moderate 
• Elevation Gain: 544 ft

Grotto Falls is THE most popular hike on the nature trail and the parking area fills quickly.  While it is a bit shorter than Rainbow falls, Grotto is probably the most popular hike on Roaring Forks. 

Tips –

• Waterfall hikes draw major crowds in the Smokies. Make sure to get here early because the parking area does fill really quickly
• Give Yourself A Few Hours 
• Good for most hikers/ all skill levels
• The trail will most likely be steeper than you expect
• Steady Incline 

Trillium Gap Trail To Grotto Falls – 

• Distance: 6.8 miles 
• Rating: Moderate
• Elevation Gain: 1,234 ft

You can also take the Trillium Gap Trail to get to Grotto Falls. Although this trail does run along the road for about half the Trillium Gap portion.

Check Out: 11 Can’t Miss Waterfalls In The Smokies

4. Wander Around Some History – 

No trip to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is complete without getting a history lesson. The best way to do this is by visiting the old cabins, barns and working tub mills that have been preserved and restored on the trail. 

Jim Bales Place – 

Bales and his older brother, Ephraim, spent most of their lives living on Roaring Forks. Jim married Emma Ogle (yep, as in Bud Ogle Cabin) a woman from a neighboring homestead.

The cabin that sits in this area didn’t actually belong to Jim Bales. It was relocated from the Sugarlands area and belonged to Alex Cole. 

My favorites were the Ephraim Bales Cabin and the Reagan Tub Mill.

Ephraim Bales Cabin – 

Ephraim Bales lived in this cabin with his wife and 9 children (yes, 9 haha). Their homestead is actually two cabins placed side by side with a roof connecting them. The larger cabin was the living area and the other was the kitchen. 

The Reagan Tub Mill – 

The mill was constructed in 1900 and is still in operation. This was my absolute favorite building on Roaring Forks.

5. Don’t Forget The Bud Ogle Cabin – 

See the early settlers’ ingenuity firsthand at the Noah “Bud” Ogle homestead. A short nature trail leads you through an authentic Appalachian farmstead. The one-time Ogle farm features a handcrafted wooden flume plumbing system as well as one of the few working tub mills still in existence. 

6. Watch Out For Ghosts – 

The motor nature trail has an eerie feel early in the morning, especially when you are the only one on the trail. Watch out for Lucy, the ghost who supposedly haunts the entire motor nature trail. 

Keep your eyes peeled for a barefoot girl wandering around in the woods. The story goes that Lucy was a young girl/woman who died when her family’s cabin burned down in the early 1900s. Now she wanders the dark old growth forest in search of a ride. 

7. Keep An Eye Peeled For Wildlife – 

Black bear, wild turkey, deer, and bobcats call Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail home. This is listed as the second best place to spot bears inside the park. (The first is, of course, Cades Cove). While I didn’t see any bears, I did see a bunch of wild turkeys, deer  and I was lucky enough to spot a bobcat! 

It was pure luck that I spotted the bobcat, a lucky find that not many people get to see because of the bobcat’s solitary and reclusive nature. I wasn’t able to get a clear picture because they move so quickly but I swear, that’s a bobcat in the photo above.

Check Out: 14 Fun Things To Do In Cades Cove

8. Watch A Sunrise On Roaring Forks –

I know, not everyone is ok with setting alarms while on a trip. But sunrise is such an amazing time to visit Roaring Forks. I set my alarm for 4:30 am and set out for Roaring Forks one cool September morning. 

I had the entire nature trail to myself and only passed a Park Ranger. The Smokies are the most visited park in the United States and it’s hard to have any area completely to yourself. 

I highly recommend checking out a sunrise on Roaring Forks! 

9. The Little Things – 

If you have Roaring Forks to yourself it is so easy to take in all of the little things. Now, during the middle of the day when it’s bumper to bumper cars and you can’t go at your own pace that’s a different story. 

If you go for sunrise, really take your time. Notice all of the little cascades, the way the water spills over at the tub mill, the wild turkeys walking around the homesteads, and you may even get lucky enough to spot a bear or bobcast. 

It sounds corny (if you are new here, I can be pretty corny at times) but this place transports you back in time when you have it entirely to yourself. 

10. Don’t Miss Out On The Place of A Thousand Drips – 

I didn’t research Roaring Fork at all before hitting the trail, so, I didn’t know it at the time, but my favorite feature of the trail was this spot. It’s  toward the end of the trail  where it seemed like a thousand drops of water were rolling down the exposed rock. 

It’s a very unique feature because there is not enough water to classify this subtle spot as a waterfall or a cascade, but it is gorgeous and something you don’t want to miss! 

If you get there early you can easily spend 10 minutes taking in this beautiful spot.

Bonus: 

11. It’s Semi-Dog Friendly – 

I only say semi because dogs are not permitted inside the historical buildings but can pop out of the car for a quick potty break or photo. However, they can accompany you inside the car on this relaxing drive. Find out HERE just how dog friendly Great Smoky Mountains is!

Tip: 

If it’s hot and you are visiting in the middle of the day, I don’t suggest bringing your pups if you are planning on checking out the historic buildings. 

One things for sure, Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail is a true gem in the Smokies. Especially if you are willing to set your alarm and check it out at sunrise! 

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