- 4.2 miles in length – 2.5 miles to Abrams Falls
- Starting Points – Abrams Falls Trailhead parking area (halfway around the Cades Cove Loop Rd)
- Points of Interest – Abrams Creek & Abrams Falls
- Difficulty – 1
When you are driving around Cades Cove you are going to notice a pull off the main road about halfway around, right past a bridge. You will see a sign for Abrams Falls. Pull into the parking area, get your hiking gear out of the car and prepare for a journey. This is an easy hike on a well maintained trail. The pay off, about halfway down the trail is Abrams Falls – a gorgeous waterfall and a great place to take a dip in a mountain stream.
The trail itself is great. From the start until almost the revelation of Abrams Falls this trail is wide enough to walk side by side with your hiking buddy. The 2.5 miles to the falls is gently rolling with no huge increases or decreases in elevation. Remember this is not a loop trail so you are going to have to hike back out from the falls as well. The remaining 1.7 miles to the junction with Hannah Mountain Trail and Hatcher Mountain Trail is downfall and the trail is considerably more narrow.
The trail follows Abrams Creek from the trailhead where it is a wide creek to the falls were it plunges down the mountain. The creek, at the trailhead, provides great opportunities to wade and frolic in the water. The kids can get some of that restless energy from riding aroud the cove out as the splash each other and everybody else around them. Further along the trail the creek offers some great chances to chase the elusive trout. Abrams has some great fishing. The first mile of the trail stays right next to the water and you can easily walk to the creek and cast while you hope to land that trophy trout in the Smokies.
The falls, though, is the highlight of the trail and the payoff for the hike. The falls drops 20 feet into a huge round swimming hole. Crystal clear, unless it has rained a lot recently, the water is cool even during the summer but after a brisk hike into the mountains it feels great whether you choose just to dip your feet in the water or go swimming. The falls are one of those iconic images in the Smokies, being photographed thousands of times a year. Remember though, even though the water is clear it is not safe to dive into the water at Abrams falls, serious injuries have occurred when people dove into Abrams Creek at the falls.