It never stopped raining. Not entirely. Sometimes it was only a drizzle. Other times it was heavier, though it never became a full-on deluge. Not this day. But it was bad enough that we certainly weren’t going very far from our car, lest we get caught in a serious storm and end up in a dangerous situation. After all, on this summer afternoon in 2015, we scarcely even done a real mountain hike yet. What we were doing at the time could be better described as surveying. Peaking. If we weren’t going to be able to actually hike deep into a trail, I at least wanted to get a feel for what a few of them offered, as well as get far enough from the car to at least get a few nature photographs to salvage a day that had presented a real struggle in that aspect. First was the Rainbow Falls Trail, where we went just far enough in to see the raging creek and the impressive forest that was absolutely shimmering with all the moisture. Then came Trillium Gap, which was where we were at now. At no point came a baby in a baby carriage.
I had heard a lot of great things about the Trillium Gap Trail, not the least of which was one of the Smokies most popular waterfalls, Grotto Falls, well known for having the trail pass behind its cascade. About 1.3 miles from the trailhead, we weren’t going to make it there – not on this rainy day. But we did make it far enough to know that this was a fairly interesting trail. Though it was scarcely more than a mile away from the aforementioned Rainbow Falls Trail, this place couldn’t have been more different. Despite the way it glistened in the rain, there was still something dark and foreboding around the Rainbow Falls Trail. Trillium Gap, on the other hand, had a welcoming warmth, despite the stormy weather. Over small creeks we crossed on a very clay-like pathway lined by beautiful greenery that almost seemed as if it was some ornate garden. We only went so far down, but it was something I knew I wanted to see more of. We spent the rest of that rainy afternoon completing the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a scenic drive featuring immense amounts of creek interaction that could be well enjoyed even in the rain, though I would have preferred to explore it more in better weather.
That time wouldn’t come during our week in the Smokies in 2019. For one, the trail was being renovated, and had limited hours when it was open. Also, it rained significantly almost every day of our trip, meaning some places we would have liked to see, like Grotto Falls, were left undone. We did repeated the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail on one of those rainy days, but in this instance it rained even harder than our first visit. I began to wonder if we would ever get to really experience the scenic drive, which seem to offer great photographic opportunities if only I could ever get an honest crack at it.
When vacation time in 2020 rolled around, we had to plan around the fact that my hip was going to be in very bad shape, and I wasn’t going to be able to freely hike where I wanted. Things like the Roaring Fork and Grotto Falls meant the Smokies made great sense for us. There was a ton that could be enjoyed and photographed along the Roaring Fork without even having to walk to it, and I might, just might be able to get my bad hip through the 2.6 mile total round trip to Grotto Falls. This being 2020, we knew things were going to be busy, but we’ve always been able to largely avoid the crowds simply by embarking first thing in the morning, which I’ve usually done when visiting a waterfall anyway, as that’s the best way to guarantee good light. So after a rainy evening we got up around dawn to take the journey from our cabin in Wears Valley to Gatlinburg and the beginning of the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
I wish we could have started the Roaring Fork a little earlier than we did, but there isn’t really a great direct route between Gatlinburg and Wears Valley, so after a circuitous journey we finally passed our way through town to begin the one lane drive that marks one of my favorite attractions in the Smokies. After passing a few places like the trailhead for the Twin Creeks Trail, the scenic drive begins climbing at a pretty steady rate as it works its way up part of Mt. Leconte’s imposing ridgeline (Mt. Leconte rises 5,301 feet from its base in Gatlinburg to its 6,593 ft. summit, making it one of the most prominent peaks in the Appalachians). With this being our third trip on the roadway, this section felt like old hat. We made a cursory stop at an overlook which peers down towards portions of Gatlinburg. The scars of the deadly fires which spread from the Chimney Tops to devastate much of the surrounding area were clearly evident, not only on opposing ridgelines, where there is a distinct line of demarcation, and also around the motor nature trail itself, where there are occasionally patches of nearly barren trees standing like matchsticks. The motor nature trail is otherwise devoid of views, but the creeks are the real highlight here. We stayed just long enough for me to take a quick cell phone clip before moving forward to the trailhead a short drive ahead, where the parking was already quickly filling with early risers like ourselves.
We grabbed our trekking poles, cameras, hiking packs, tax returns, and a mint copy of George Harrison’s landmark solo 1970 LP All Things Must Pass, and headed out on our short journey. We made as hasty a getaway as possible, fearing that crowds would soon overwhelm the area with Grotto Falls being one of the most well-known of the park’s attractions due to its family-friendly length and distinct walk-behind. Right away the work the the trail crews had done was apparent, for where 5 years ago there had been massive webs of tangled, uneven roots that made for tough footing, now there were well-manicured wooden steps and evened out pathways. While not as natural as prior, the new wooden stairs had a charming, rustic look all their own, and it added a bit of character to the already beautiful trail. I wasn’t about to complain about the easier footing either; we had hiked around 6 miles the day before, and my hip was definitely a little worse for the wear.
The trip to Grotto Falls lies almost entirely on the Trillium Gap Trail, one of many routes to the top of Mt. Leconte, with the Trillium Gap being known for hosting convoys of llamas which traverse the pathway to supply the remote Leconte Lodge every few days. The Trillium Gap Trail actually begins near the Rainbow Falls Trail, and then follows roughly parallel to the Motor Nature Trail for a little over a mile, where it is joined by the connector trail from the Grotto Falls parking area that we were taking. The Rainbow Falls and Trillium Gap make an excellent but lengthy loop to Mt. Leconte, but that hike is currently beyond our skill level even when I’m not hobbled.
The trail immediate bestows upon you scenes of fantastic beauty. Large trees, the same ones which formerly made the pathway a root-filled spiderweb, cling closely to the sides of the trail, which maintains a fairly decent width but still more closely resembles a single-wide pathway than a forest road. The woods that line the way here have their own unique character different than most other areas of the park. With elevations going all the way from the 1,000s to the 6,000s, the amount of bio-diversity you can get within the confines of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is beyond words. Using the word “bio-diversity” might come across as only being significant to “science nerds”, but in practical terms it means that you will come across a staggering amount of different looks without having to venture too far in the Smokies. And they are all beautiful, though some like the area around Grotto Falls seem to stand out even more than the rest.
We soon reached our first creek crossing, a small size creek tumbling down a depression in the ridgeline. The creek was easily crossed by some strategically placed boulders that gave little reason to worry about having to get one’s feet wet. The spot was pretty enough, I would have enjoyed grabbing a long exposure here, but the traffic on the trail meant that would be difficult, and I passed on the opportunity.
On its journey out to Grotto Falls, the trail seems to repeat the same similar element; it works a rough v-shape around the edge of the ridge, then works towards a creek crossing, where it again repeats another v-shape. I lost count of how many times it did this on our journey.
There aren’t any serious climbs on the way to Grotto Falls, but the trail does work itself uphill, albeit gradually. I aimed to stay ahead of whatever group was behind us, knowing I wanted to photograph the trail and this would be problematic if people stayed ahead. Both Jess and I had picked up our first set of trekking poles at REI a few weeks before the trip, but she had yet to actually assemble hers for use during a hike. Eventually the effort to keep ahead of others got a bit exhausting, especially for Jess who wasn’t using her trekking poles like I was. We finally let others pass so she could spend a moment and set hers up on the trail.
Around another bend we came across another creek. This one was much smaller than the former. In fact, the entire flow was routed through two channels on either side of a single log step. This spot looked familiar; we had turned around here in 2015.
Once again we turned left and began clinging to the edge of the ridge. This was new territory. The woods seemed to get closer and more intimate here, as well as being even more striking than before. The Smokies in places have this ability to feel like they are part of some perfectly arranged garden. Everything just seems to be in its right place as some part of immaculate design.
It took quite a bit of effort to main my trekking poles, take occasional videos with my cell phone for hopeful use on my youtube page (I’ve only edited limited videos since the trip due to trying to avoid sitting outside of work), and also take pictures of the photogenic woods along the way. And almost every section of trail seemed to be worth capturing. I was really in my element, with a new patch of lush trail awaiting around every bend. It’s such a short journey to Grotto Falls, but in that short stretch there was so much worth photographing.
The canopy seemed to thin out just a bit. We also started to hear the distant sound of a significant flow of water, which has a tremendous ability to carry through a still forest. Were we getting close to the falls?
We weren’t quite to the falls, not yet. Ahead of us was another small creek, though it was too small to be the one making the big noise. Similar to the first few crossings, this one had rocks aligned so one could easily cross with dry feet.
This really was my favorite portion of the trail. It just kept getting better and better the further we went along. While I remembered enjoying the glimpse I got of the trail in 2015, I wrote some of that wonder down to just being new to the Smokies. In hindsight I thought I was just easily impressed. Well, after years of trying to escape to the mountains to hike every so often, I’m still impressed by the beauty of this trail. I might have made a chance to visit earlier if I had known how nice this would be. We hadn’t even yet gotten to the falls…
Rounding a bend, and we were there. Except it wasn’t just one single solitary tier as I had imagined. Instead, the whole of Grotto Falls stretches out for a hundred yards or longer, and in direct contact with the trail as well. In fact, there was even a lower tier of Grotto Falls below the trail, though trying to access or view it was something far beyond my imagination on this day. It made such an awesome scene to see the trail run alongside the creek, with the well known main tier lying in the background. A long exposure of this unanticipated scene would have fit right in with some of my favorites in my portfolio, but alas, that was a lot of trail that would have to be kept free of people for far longer than was going to be possible at this time. I was sad, because this is singularly one of the most beautiful sights I’ve come across in a mountain range that is absolutely full of them. I managed to get a snapshot of this view before proceeding to the main fall itself.
There were several groups of decent size milling about the main fall. Naturally, many were taking their turns standing behind the fall. For our part, Jess and I also both sampled the spot behind the fall, which was deliciously refreshing on a summer morning owing to the cold draft from the fall. The main tier, whose look I was well familiar with, was pretty much as I expected. Except for the novelty of walking behind it, which we had actually already experienced a few days earlier at both Dry Falls and Bridal Veil Falls near Highlands, NC., Grotto Falls was not a fall whose main tier I would list among my favorites. I did my best to frame a shot I thought would be pleasing enough yet still have some hope of being people-free. I dialed in my camera settings, waiting for a moment when the fall would be open. Several times I thought that moment had come, only to have people swoop in from one side or the other before my exposure was done. I had to zoom in more than I would like but finally managed to get a shot. It wasn’t among my favorites, but I at least wanted to get a long exposure of the actual waterfall.
Though the main tier of Grotto Falls wasn’t anything exceptional, the area around the fall in its entirety definitely exceeded my expectations. Before leaving the area I took a shot at a lower tier, which had a more pleasing shape to my eyes. Though it sat some distance between the level of the trail, there was an open brush in front of it which allowed you to photograph it as if you were standing right in front of it. By the time I finished this shot, a lot more people had arrived in the vicinity of the falls, far more than we wanted to be around considering the pandemic. And more were arriving every minute, many with the disheveled look that suggested they weren’t quite accustomed to being outdoors but had decided to explore the fall. We began making out way back towards the car.
I had wanted to photograph a bit on the way back, for although we were going through the same terrain we had before, we would be afforded different views going the other direction. There were a lot of people, but knowing that the parking lot only held so many spaces, I figured the crowds would have to taper off at some point. That actually never happened, and it wouldn’t be until we finished the hike that we figured out why. The lack of spaces turned out to be no problem for the general public, who despite the motor nature trail only being a single lane were parked on other side of the roadway for hundreds and hundreds of yards past the trailhead. On the narrow roadway, their vehicles covered brush and rock – this was not an area conducive, nor designed, for any type of roadside parking (the roadway does feature one or more pulloffs every few hundred yards at a minimum). I was aghast at the sheer disregard for the habitat around the roadway, nor could I quite understand the single-minded focus of the public who just HAD to see the waterfall at all costs. We knew places in the park would be busy, but we at least imagined that the limited amount of parking spaces would put a ceiling on things (we showed up as early as possible to every possibly busy place we visited in the park), not anticipating the sheer disregard people would have both for the rules and the environment. Not to mention that hundreds of carloads cramming into a 1.3 mile stretch of trail would make social distancing an impossibility.
By no means do I blame people for wanting to get outdoors when its practically the only recreational opportunity. I just question why they had to all cram into a few select areas of the park while other also beautiful areas of the park were almost oddly quiet.
The crowds provided a bit of additional trouble as constantly having to stop and start provided a bit of additional rigor on my hip that was not needed. It’s hard to imagine unless you’ve been there how much strain constantly having to adjust your pace can put on your hip, and I definitely felt the effects of the hike we did the day before. What made things even more difficult was that the entirety of the way back was on a downhill slope, which is actually harder on the hip than walking uphill. I was pretty exhausted, both mentally and physically, by the time we got back to the car, even though we had only hiked a short distance.
The Grotto Falls Trail was only the first part of our adventure though. What I was really excited about was being able to explore the many creekside stops along the motor nature trail without a steady downpour (third time’s the charm!). I did worry, though, whether the apparent crowds were going to stymie us – after all, pulloffs were somewhat limited, and we weren’t exactly going to be making our own spots despite others apparently having no qualms doing so.
It wasn’t very far from the trailhead before we started with the creekside pulloffs. The first one we stopped at had a view of a larger creek one one side, while a small creek of just a few feet wide flowed downhill on the other side of the road. As there were a few people enjoying the larger creek at the time, I headed up to the small creek and found a nice set of very small cascades to frame. I was very satisfied as I waited for the camera to count down the seconds on my exposure. I was finally able to photograph here like I had always hoped. Not just photography it, but experience it, and immerse myself in it, doing far more than I could just glancing out a rain-soaked window.
Across the road we headed to the larger creek, which had several small tumbles close by. It wasn’t long before I was standing in 6 inches of water, shoes still on (with my bad hips the extra stability from shoes was vital) trying to find satisfactory frames. And failing. I was so excited to get the photograph the creek that I was trying to force it when I didn’t actually see a good frame. I probably wouldn’t have spent so much time at this first spot, but I didn’t remember just how many more spots lay ahead, nor could I predict whether we’d be obstructed by crowds. In either case, I enjoyed letting my legs soaking in the creek, even with my shoes still on. Since I couldn’t seem to get things right with my main rig (Nikon D750), nor did I always like setting it up on a tripod actually in the water, I swapped it out for my Nikon D7500 I had gotten earlier in the year as my “beater” camera (despite being Nikon’s highest tech cropped sensor DSLR, I actually got one for a very affordable price). I have a fun superwide lens (Sigma 10-22mm) for it that gets much wider angles and a different feel. I got a couple shots before we moved down the road.
There were many more scenes further down the road. Some of them did have people in the way of potential photographs. Surprisingly though, most places had ample parking and rare interactions with other people. Amazingly, even though hundreds of vehicles just couldn’t bear to miss Grotto Falls, they were completely oblivious to the wealth of other wonders just around the bend. Personally, I find a tumbling mountain creek like the roaring fork to be just as cool as a waterfall like Grotto Falls.
My travels didn’t go entirely uninterrupted. At one point I had worked my way over some fifteen yards of rocky creek (which is far more difficult than it sounds when toting a camera and tripod) before a family with two adventurous boys emerged from the other side of the creek to stand on the bank. I had to backtrack, but found an even better view of the creek on the other side of the road. In another instance I was standing in at least a foot of water, trying to refine my frame, when a woman came up to the bank about ten yards upstream, nodded in my direction, then proceeded to hop in the creek right in front. I was more amused than anything else that she went out of her way to acknowledge me if she was just going to hop right in front of a tripod setup in the water. There were better things to be found just downstream anyway, and I headed on to the next set of rapids.
Despite the few blips I was really enjoying my time photographing the creek while at the some time enjoying refreshing mountain water on a summer’s day (being able to get in just about any body of water without having to worry about gators is a foreign concept for Floridians). I was doing something that was long overdue – not just photographing the Roaring Fork, but getting to invest myself fully in capturing any Smoky Mountain Creek. I had felt so cheated when pretty much every afternoon in our weeklong 2019 Smoky Mountain trip was robbed by thunderstorms. We did our main hikes, often in rain that limited my ability to photograph along them since nearly all my, but rarely had those moments where we could just take a very slow pace, which I had looked forward to just as much as doing the destination hikes. I was making up for lost time now.
The amazingness of the scenic drive is such that, even though I tried quite a few different frames, I could drive the roadway again and find dozens more unique frames amid creek segments I didn’t really explore. In addition to a few official trailheads on the scenic loop, there are also innumerable goat paths and informal trails that diverge in the woods. Both for the sake of time and also because of health, I wasn’t gonna be able to explore every crevasse of the Roaring Fork. But I explored enough to be satisfied, for sure.
I had taken a lot of good shots, but for all my effort I hadn’t quite captured what I knew to be a great shot (and sometimes you just know you’ve got a bangup shot that’s gonna be one of your best). We were near to the end when I came across a dream of a shot. For this spot I had grabbed both cameras, and when I saw the rapid perfectly framed by brush on either side, with ample room beneath the water feature for me to move to get the right angle regardless of lens, I knew I was gonna have to use my best rig (the D7500 does a great job. And its focus system is newer and better than the D750. But the difference in shot quality between the full frame and the cropped sensor is perceptible). I tried a couple different frames of this spot, some with more breathing room than others, and the differences in the shots didn’t even really matter. They all came out looking like perfect frames to my eyes, and I’m usually my harshest critic, so I was extremely pleased.
There is more to the Roaring Fork than pictured here. The drive climaxes by crossing directly over a series of waterfalls called the “Place of a Thousand Drips”. As the name suggests, rather than having one main flow, this fall has many, many separate, small flows that seem to come from all directions. It’s quite a spectacle, though it doesn’t really lend itself to great pictures since the small flows barely show up, plus encompassing the entirety of the flows is nearly impossible in a single frame. I took a cell shot here, but it is laughably insufficient to show much of what it looks like in person.
We had an immensely satisfying half day around the Roaring Fork. As a whole, the short hike to Grotto Falls exceeded my expectations. It was great to get familiar with another patch of magical Smoky Mountain forest. I also enjoyed getting another of the signature Smoky Mountain hikes done, though I still have a few more on my list to be accomplished some day. The scenes around the Roaring Fork were extraordinary. I was already familiar with how great the roadway was, but only seeing it in the rain on two different occasions was certainly a tease. The Roaring Fork is one of two dedicated scenic drives in the park, with the other, Cades Cave, being by far the more popular. While Cades Cove certainly has spectacular mountain valley scenery, I myself am partial to mountain creeks. In three trips to the Roaring Fork I only ever run into temporary traffic. Even on this summer of covid day, with trailheads overwhelmed, the drive itself was smooth sailing. Cades Cove, on the other hand, has been a constant traffic jam, and sometimes entirely stopped for long stretches, on both of the visits I’ve been able to make. The frustration of driving the road is almost not worth the trouble just for the scenery. With that in consideration, I vastly prefer the Roaring Fork, and I highly recommend it as part of your Smoky Mountain experience.
J. Parker Nature Stories 