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| Spruce Flats Falls (one tier of four) |
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| These are larger than this image seems to show |
Friday, March 2, 2007
Spruce Flats Trail - Not On the map but worth finding. Trails hiked:
Lumber Ridge and Spruce Flats. Distance: 8.0 miles. Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
Spruce Flats trail runs a distance of about 4 miles between Buckhorn
Gap and the Smoky Mtn Institute at Tremont (near Townsend, TN). It follows an old railroad grade for much of its
length until it approaches one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the park: Spruce Flats Falls. I hiked this
trail Friday starting from its upper end at Buckhorn Gap where it forms part of a four-way junction with Lumber Ridge, Meigs
Mtn and Meigs Creek trails. I parked at the Smoky Mtn Institute at Tremont and hiked 4 miles along the Lumber Ridge trail to
its end at Buckhorn Gap; turning right onto a clearly visible manway, I continued on what I call Spruce Flats trail
for about 3 miles downhill along an old railroad bed that follows Spruce Flats Branch most of the way down until its final
crossing of Spruce Flats Branch at the waterfalls. From there I walked the 4th mile of this trailalong the most difficult,
and probably most traveled, section as I made my way back to the parking area.
There are some unusual artifacts...
This "unofficial/unmaintained" trail must get a lot of travel
by students from the Smoky Mtn Institute at Tremont and as a result it is easy to follow. The noisy creek does weave
back and forth across the trail and since the railroad bridges are long gone you'll have to ford the creek several times--most
are simple rock hops but be sure to wear your waterproof hiking boots and you'll have no problems. There wasn't
much to see this early in the wildflower season except the lovely creek and the obvious signs of the old railbed--that
kind of thing can get my imagination going as I think about how busy this place must have been back in the days when logging was
underway in the area. There are some unusual artifacts which I'll leave as a mystery for you to discover.
| Looking Down on Middle Prong from the Trail |
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| Scared of Heights? Then avoid this trail! |
The Spruce Flats waterfalls will be the big attraction for most
visitors. This four-tiered waterfall is a little-known gem in the Smokies and is worth the effort required to get there.
If you have a fear of heights then you should avoid the 4th mile of this trail that connects between the waterfalls and the
Smoky Mtn Institute. Personally, I enjoyed walking this section of trail that skirts along the edges of the 200 - 400'
high overlooks high above the Middle Prong of the Little River. You'll come out in back of the Institute's
residential buildings and can walk along the road for a few hundred yards through an historic area known as Walker Fields to
the parking area for your car at Lumber Ridge trailhead.
Total distance: 8 miles. Allow 4 - 5 hours. Easy
to moderate difficulty but some scrambling and creek crossing skills recommended. Note: If you just want
to see the waterfalls then the out and back distance is only about 2 miles round trip but this is not a trail for
small children or people unsure of themselves on uneven footing. Click here for a custom topo map (149 KB) showing this route.
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