As we all stay home, it’s hard not to day dream about the time we will be out exploring again! Our location is surrounded with awesome trails to enjoy in your Jeep. Whether you prefer the things to do in the Smokies, like The Titanic, The Island, and the theaters and dinner shows, or……. you love the mountain trails, we have a mulitude of ideas for you!
Discover Little River Road!
Find adventure along Little River Road. Access Little River Road from Metcalf Bottoms, the Wears Valley entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. When traveling on Highway 321 South, Wears Valley Road, turn right on Line Spring Road from Wears Valley Road and follow the road to Metcalf Bottoms picnic area. There you will see the opportunity to access Little River Road. Little River Road is a beautiful drive from Townsend, Tennessee to Gatlinburg, Tennessee with many beautiful areas along the way.
Laurel Falls
The moderate 2.6 mile trail to Laurel Falls is one of the Park’s most traveled. The trail divides the waterfall in two. At the top, Laurel Branch bursts from a grove of rhododendron, or “laurel” as it was called by early settlers, and falls nearly 50 feet to collect in a pool perfect for soaking tired feet. The falls continues on from that pool for about 35 feet before reaching the bottom.
Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area
Once a family farm, Metcalf Bottoms is now a large picnic area with plenty of space along the rich bottomland by the river. As Little River Road was being built, the Metcalf family often brought fresh spring water to the many workers. The National Park Service remembered the favor by naming the picnic area for them.
Little Greenbrier School
Just a mile through the forest from Metcalf Bottoms lies the Little Greenbrier School. This charming 19th -century schoolhouse evokes the simpler education of years gone by. Built from logs split up to two feet wide, the school also served as a church from 1882 until the Park’s creation. The original benches and desks still line the room, along with a lectern and a painted blackboard.
The Sinks
Located just 1.5 miles east of Metcalf Bottoms picnic area, The Sinks are a combination of hydraulic rapids and deep pools. Folklore tells of how a logging train once derailed and plunged into the Little River at this spot. It was never found as the bottom could not be reached. Thereafter, this spot was always referred to as “The Sinks.”
