The Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail is located inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s a 5.5 mile, one way, one lane road, that takes approximately an hour to complete, and let me tell you it’s completely worth that hour of your time! The nature trail follows the Roaring Forks Stream, which is 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.
Part of the Alex Cole Cabin area on Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail
6. Location, Location, Location – The Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail is located only 21 minutes from downtown Gatlinburg. Making it an easy drive for most visitors to the park. Our Airbnb had a Sevierville address but was actually closer to Gatlinburg. Like most National Park the Smokies encompass 520,000 acres making things a bit spread out.
5. Comfort – 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.
A beautiful Smoky Mountain sunrise from Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail.
4. History – There are several historical buildings to view on this trail. My favorites were the Ephraim Bales Cabin and the Tub Mill.
Ephriam Bales Cabin on Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail
3. Wildlife – This is listed as the second best place to see bears inside the park. (The first is, of course, Cades Cove). While we didn’t see any bears, we did see a bunch of wild turkeys and we were lucky enough to spot a bobcat!
That blur is a bobcat, I swear! They move so quickly!
2. Tranquility – If you go at the right time. The Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail is an incredibly popular destination inside the park. However, we got there just as the sun was coming up and we had the entire trail to ourselves. In fact, the only other person we saw was a Park Ranger. You can enjoy the trail all by your lonesome if you are willing to set that alarm clock! Let me tell you, it’s worth it.
1. Don’t miss out on the Place of A Thousand Drips. I didn’t know it at the time, but my favorite feature of the trail was this spot toward the end where it seemed like a thousand drops of water were rolling down the exposed rock. See, it’s 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.
The place of a thousand drips on Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail
