abrams falls trail

Such a spectacular destination hike when one is in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smokies National Park.......I will return when weather allows me to plunge in the water!

The trail head is halfway around the Cades Cove loop. Physically, the hike out to the falls is moderate, climbing up to and crossing two ridges along the way. Beautiful forest scenery the whole way! Loved it!

Awesome hike, 2.6 miles each way. I love the up and down as it does not hit my knees so hard. About halfway you reach a small summit where we had awesome views and found a few lizards and such. The falls are not a huge drop but make up for it with power. Great place to have lunch before heading back. You need to drive most of the Cades cove loop before getting to the entrance though. Went twice and about 4 hrs roundtrip both times.

We visited Christmas week in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. We have hiked Laurel falls, Anna Ruby Falls, and Brasstown Bald with our 5 year old little girl. This hike was kind of muddy, pretty long, and slickery rock. There are really slim bridges you have to go over with railing only on one side. Once we got to the falls, I was a bit disappointed that we did a moderately skilled long hike for such a small fall. It was pretty, but wasn't really what I was expecting.The bathroom area was disgusting! X that off...

I liked the constant uphill and downhill trail...It wasn't too hard... Took close to 3 hrs and we spent quite a bit of time at the falls...It is rocky, so wear hiking boots... The gush of water at the falls is amazing... Loved the experience...

This is a great hike located in Cade's Cove. My wife and I have hiked a lot of trails in the Smokies and this is not easy but it's not the most difficult either. It is 5.5 miles roundtrip and the trail can be rocky and there are a lot of tree roots. Do yourself a favor and wear proper footwear. The falls are beautiful and very powerful and there are plenty of spots for a nice picnic. Take your time, enjoy the scenery and enjoy the beauty!

After reading these review it didn't scare me, but made me aware of what to expect. Yes, there are rocks, roots, steep highs and low grounds. The hike feels longer than 3-4 hours. But if you are steady, that amount of time is accurate. Please go in the morning, you do not want to catch yourself there in the dark. The trail is about 3.5 feet wide, maybe 4 ft. Only two people should walk on it side by side.I did see people of all ages on the trail. From kids, to teens to middle aged and even older folks. I didn't see anyone heavy set like me. For all those who reviewed on "those who are not fit, shouldn't go", let me tell you...I did it. I may be heavy, but I have endurance. I hiked that trail proudly and maintained the average speed as others. Yes, the steep moments did hold me back a little but I kept moving. The reason why I write this, it is because people should not discourage others just because they think you have to be in top shape for this. Yes, it is always more ideal that one is in top shape, it makes it easier. But, if one believes in themself, and feel they can do it even if it is at their pace, then no one should discourage. As long as you have endurance, you can trust your knees, and don't have major heart issues...you can do this.I am going to post pictures so you can have an idea of what the terrain looks like. It is rough on the feet, so it is very important to wear hiking shoes. Take lots of water, snacks, and a walking stick. I didn't have one but I really think it is ideal and will invest in once next time.

Although we went on a very busy fall day in the park, it was well worth sharing the trail for the views. It was for us a moderately physical hike until the top which is kind of tricky trying to climb up in sand. However, we were passed by a woman who was very pregnant and a woman carrying a small child. (oh well). It is so far the most beautiful hike we have done.

We made the round trip hike in just under three hours, the terrain is a bit tricky in parts and you may want to keep a close eye on young children. The falls were great, though I'm not sure if a dip in the pool would be a good idea.

We kind of lucked out in that it was drizzling which must have scared others away. Yippee. It was very pretty and worth the hike. The biggest frustration is that you go back into Cades Cove and even though it's one lane and there are tons of pull-offs with signs that tell people to pull over, we kept getting behind people who thought that they didn't have to pull over. Consequently, it took a long time to drive anywhere in that loop. I would still recommend it.

A wonderful, albeit crowded, hike to these fantastic falls are definitely worth it. The falls themselves come over with such force and volume that there is a mist cloud that sprays up into the air. The trail reminds me of a roller coaster, you are going up a hill, then down, then up...etc so even though the elevation itself isn't much, what they don't tell you is that you climb that elevation over and over again. You hike mostly along Abram's creek which is very wide and very fast and the trail provides wonderful views and a pleasant sound of the creek for pretty much the entire length of the trip. If you have very small kids you will need to be careful since there are drop offs in several areas on the trip to the falls. This trail is listed as one of the 10 most dangerous in the country but it all has to do with the water....not the trail itself. At least 29 people have died near the falls; there is an undertow at the pool and if you watch the surface you will see that the foam circles and gets pulled back toward the base of the falls. Be very careful not to fall in or swim in the pool regardless of have tranquill it looks because you may not hike out!

This trail is 2.5 miles long which makes it 5miles round trip. Please if you decide to do this one and you are not familiar with the trail wear the right shoes and clothing. My husband and I learned the hard way. This trail is VERY rugged and up and down hill. We had walked a nice smooth paved trail earlier that morning and thought this one wouldn't be that bad. There were park rangers at the start of the trail advising people of the trail, they suggested taking water along which I am so glad we did. It was well worth it once we got to the falls because they were beautiful, but if we ever do it again we will be prepared especially since we went to a nice shop in Gaitlinburg called foot gear and purchased a nice pair of hiking shoes. The views along the trail are amazing and so worth seeing!!!

We drove into the park one day while staying in Bryson. It took us about 2 hours to get to Cade's Cove from the Cherokee entrance. The roads in the park are the typical winding mountain roads. The falls are off the 11 mile one way Cade's Cove road. Get there early or you may get stuck in the traffic. People will stop in the middle of the road to view wildlife. At stop #10 about 5 miles in is the Abrams Falls Trail. There are bathrooms & plenty of parking. We arrived about 10am & pretty much had the trail to ourselves. The 5 mile trail we felt to be fairly easy with gradual inclines but the reason its considered moderate is because of all the rocks & tree stumps. You will pretty much watch your footing the entire time. Every step must be calculated. We saw people of all ages hiking the trail. Definitely wear proper shoes. We were surprised not to see any wildlife. We brought lunch to enjoy at the waterfall. The area around the waterfall isn't very large & there are large rocks to navigate. The waterfall is pretty but nothing spectacular. At only 20 feet high the large volume of water is impressive. We only shared the area with a few couples but on our way back the trail was significantly more crowded. So glad we made it early. The trail took a bit over 3 hours. Also, we didn't have any AT&T cell service in the park.

This hike definitely challenged us as inexperienced hikers but we did it in about 2.5 hrs when it called for 3. However it was more for the experience than the final destination as the fall was pretty but small.

NIce trail, a bit of a challenge but not too crazy. Falls were among the nicer ones in the area. Nothing spectacular but definitely have some oomph and ooh and ahs at the end. We liked this "falls hike" the most of the moderate to easy ones.