Best Trails in Tennessee

My favorite hike in the Smokies.

Heavily trafficked trail by runners, walkers, and wanderers. Easy trail, very well marked, no major ups or downs.

So beautiful. Not a lot of traffic we saw only 1 other person on our way out! Be prepared to cross a river!!

Was going for the Chigger Ridge view of Buckeye Falls but didn’t make it. Took the wrong turn and it was too cold and snowy to keep going. Up at the top, when joining back to the fire service road, need to make that right going down instead of going straight and up. Fun day. Snowed a half inch while I was out.

Amazing hike! It’s not too long of a hike and it’s on a paved trail with dirt trails coming and going from it. The falls are amazing and your able to get right up too them. There’s a upper and lower fall. You can get down to the lower part but you have to be careful with the rocks! Beautiful views!

Great hike!

This is a great trail that’s well marked. Rocky, roots, with lots of twists and climbs. Takes computer ficus.

Wonderful trail. Lots of boulder/rock climbing. Longer then stated but waterfalls are so worth the hike

Really nice trail ! One creek to go through without any bridge but River was not that high! About 5-6 areas w trees down. Snow all the way up! Finally got to see the sunshine and blue sky ! Too bad there is not any look up up there. It s actually 3495 feet elevation not 4172.

One of my favorites and close to home. great hike!

Very rocky terrain but definitely has some good views.

Trail is well maintained, and the hike is fairly easy. There are a few river crossings. I wore my waterproof boots and was fine. From Beech Bottom Trailhead to Jack's River Falls takes 1.5 to 2 hours, about the same on the way back. As others have mentioned, the roads in the Cohutta wilderness can be pretty treacherous. I'd recommend a 4x4 vehicle. I went after it had rained so there were some muddy inclines that I needed to use four wheel drive on.

Well marked trail and decently maintained. Although several trees were down along the way, very few required climbing over/under. Beautiful overlook on the Cane Creek Falls.

Be sure to look into the lakes open dates! December through April the only open the gates for the first and the last Saturday’s of month. And

Not sure why All trails does not list Bull Head trail but kinda thankful it doesn’t because no one uses it so no traffic. In my opinion it’s longer but a bit easier trail to Leconte than Rainbow falls. Can do a loop and go back down Rainbow Falls. That’s what I did yesterday.
Very steep and hard trail but with views of Gatlinburg and mountains most of the way. My favorite trail so far in the Smokys and I’ve done about all the good long ones.

[TL:DR This trail, by itself, is a solid workout, if subdued. You won't be doing any rock fields or sharp ascents, just moderate, but continuous, elevation changes over 13 mi. The lack of technical or demanding spots make it a solid winter weather trail, as well.]

If you choose to do the trail by itself, you can park directly at trailhead. It won't really make any difference if you go clockwise or counter-clockwise. The clockwise side does have a bit more open space on trail, but nothing much other than that.

The main benefit for this trail is that it's a continuous, moderate grind over a moderate distance. There's no single part of it that will push you to any kind of a limit. I wouldn't recommend it as a recovery trail, and not as an easy day, either, but it occupies a happy middle.

However, if you want to add some challenge, there are plenty of connecting trails close to its trailhead, so you can easily tack on some extra miles and difficulty. I look forward to linking this and the Lower Loop for a one-day this summer.

As for appearance, I recommend going after a good amount of rain. You'll have a number of minor fords, but it's easily worth it for all the rivers and streams that pop up or flood after a good rainfall. This area really shows off that jade color spectrum the waters at this park can have. Both the campsites take full advantage of this to create some truly beautiful pockets along this trail.

Great trail... it has some woods and some beautiful views! Quite a bit of damage from a recent tornado!!

Fun hike and is a great length for those looking for a long hike. Absolutely gorgeous and lots of plant life to examine.

Set forth around 9 am in cold and drizzly weather, only one other vehicle parked at the trailhead. The change of scenery on the trail is by far on of my favorite parts of this hike. It goes from creekside with a few massive hemlocks next to a large rock overhang to a beautiful creekside trail , it then takes you beside coal mines, through boulder fields, waterfalls, mossy sinkholes, with calf burning ascents and descents, even under waterfalls, on top of beautiful overlooks, and finally to Climactic end at Foster Falls. This trail was well designed. Bravo.

Hard but worth every step‼️Absolutely beautiful❤️

Did a two day trip up to the summit and stayed in the shelter up top. Ice was on the trail, snowed about 2” over the day, beautiful views. Plenty of hikers still on the trail. Hiked up Rainbow falls and descended Bull Head, I prefer the views of Bull Head more than I do Rainbow Falls. Take caution if snowing on Bullhead due to the slip hazards, otherwise, spectacular hike. Squirrels were present on trail.

Nice little walk near the river to downtown-ish Chattaooga. Get a drink from Rembrandt’s and enjoy the sculpture garden in the art district.

Hiked this yesterday in the cold and fog. It was indeed a challenging hike but worth it for the many elements and variety.

Outstanding hike for multiple water features. Went with my 12 year old and we had a blast! The main Falls were breathtaking - but don’t stop there. Keep walking up the hill to Adams Falls, and when you loop around take the river upstream and there is another 60’ Falls about 300 yards upstream. Across the stream is also a curious cave.

Amazing reward at the end of the hike.

Short & fun. Loved the history

A lot to see for such a short hike

Nice add on if you hike the Perimeter Trail but want to do a little more.

2/3 of the way is pretty basic. The last 1/3 was more fun. Stepping through and over more creeks, trees, rocks. The terrain became more intense. Once I reached the waterfall, the temperature had dropped and the rocks were iced over. It was beautiful, very private and reclusive.