The average grade of the trail is only 12%, and most people agree that 15% is where strenuous hiking begins. In all, the 6.7-mile hike to the top is just a continuous slog along a moderate hill. This makes climbing a steep mountain much easier. At times the trail resorts to switchbacks instead of taking the much steeper “straight up the mountain” approach. The Rainbow Falls Trail follows LeConte Creek and is uphill the entire way to the LeConte Lodge with only a few minor stretches of flat terrain, though the incline is never strenuous. If so, return on the Rainbow Falls Trail to complete the loop hike. By this time there will be plenty of other hikers near the LeConte Lodge, and if it is passible, they’ll tell you about it. At the top, just ask around if the Rainbow Falls Trail is passible. Therefore, I suggest hiking up the mountain on the Bull Head Trail, one of the most beautiful in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Unfortunately, it is doubtful anyone would know if the trail is passible first thing in the morning because nobody would have done the hike. During the fall and winter seasons when the days are shorter, if you must turn around and then start up the mountain on the Bull Head Trail, you’d never make it back in time before dark. But if the summit of Mount LeConte is your destination, you certainly don’t want to hike all the way to the waterfall just to find out that you can’t go farther. This pertains only to those hiking beyond the waterfall. There is a sign at the start of the Rainbow Falls Trail that warns that it might be impassible due to high water flow on LeConte Creek, and if so, use the Bull Head Trail. Parking situation along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail near the popular trailheads So even if you can’t find a parking spot there, at least you don’t have to walk all the way back to the first parking lot to begin the hike. There is a second parking lot just past the first one, and this is also the location of a second trailhead that cuts over to the main trail at an angle. I got there around 8 AM and still had to park pretty far down the road. Of course, if you are hiking round trip to the top of Mount LeConte, you’ll need to start first thing in the morning. The actual parking lot is the same one used for the Bull Head Trail, and during the tourist season you won’t get near it if you arrive much after sunrise. In fact, the road you must take to get there, Cherokee Orchard Road, actually begins in Gatlinburg, so you may have to travel through the downtown area to reach it, and that alone can be a traffic nightmare. The trailhead for the Rainbow Falls Trail is located on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a loop road near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. There are also some nice views at the Cliff Top and Myrtle Point overlooks. Those heading to the top are most likely on their way to the LeConte Lodge, either because they are staying there or they just want to see it. Nearly everyone hiking the Rainbow Falls Trail is heading to the waterfall 2.6 miles away, but the trail actually continues another 4.1 miles to the top of Mount LeConte, the third highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park at 6,600 feet in elevation. Time: 3.5 hours to the waterfall and back, 5.5 hours to the top of Mount LeConte (one way)ĭifficulty: Moderate to waterfall, strenuous to the top due to rocky terrain Length: 5.2 miles round trip to waterfall, 6.7 miles to the top of Mount LeConte (one way) See the Gatlinburg Region web page for an interactive location map.
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