Hi there!
So you’re off to hike to Grotto Falls that is one of the best waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains!
The location of the Grotto Falls trailhead is along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a must-do scenic drive in the Smoky Mountains! So it’s a scenic drive just to get to the Grotto Falls trailhead!
I went to Grotto Falls in September. What the weather will be like from year to year can vary (which means the colors can vary!), but this is what it was like for me!
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The Grotto Falls trailhead is located directly along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
Because the Grotto Falls trailhead is along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, it means that it’s really not difficult to find the Grotto Falls trailhead.
The name of the trail you’ll be taking to get to Grotto Falls is called Trillium Gap Trail, so you are also looking for the Trillium Gap trailhead.
The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is the popular scenic drives in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Basically, all you need to do to get to the trailhead is to get yourself onto the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and then you will naturally come across the sign for Grotto Falls!
Once you get near, you’ll first be driving on Cherokee Orchard Road, and then it will become a one-way road.
From there, you’ll follow the signs to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail! You’ll pass by the Rainbow Falls Trail and the Baskins Creek Falls Trail along the way. Then you’ll come across a sign for Grotto Falls parking.
On google maps, there is Grotto Falls parking so you can look for that to navigate you to the start of the trail to Grotto Falls.
You may want to download offline google maps before you go (it’s free), as you may not have signal in the park.
Otherwise, even without google maps, you will be able to get there just fine as long as you get started in the right direction from Gatlinburg because again, once you’re nearby, you’ll just follow the signs to Roaring Fork and then Grotto Falls. Google maps would be helpful to ease your mind so you’ll know when you’re getting closer.
Driving directly from Gatlinburg to the Grotto Falls trailhead might be around 20 minutes, if you don’t stop and if you don’t encounter traffic.
A little more below about getting to the Grotto Falls trailhead!
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So getting to the Grotto Falls Trail is not difficult. But parking may be!
That thing about encountering traffic and being popular waterfalls. It’s quite possible that you will encounter traffic on your way to the Grotto Falls trailhead.
The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a slow going one-way road.
Similarly, when you are finished with the hike, finishing up the drive on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail may be slow.
There is a parking lot right near the trailhead, but it is very possible that it will be full when you go. The hike to Grotto Falls is a popular Smoky Mountains hike near Gatlinburg.
Because of the popularity of these waterfalls, you might end up parking along the side of the road a bit further away from the trailhead. Hopefully no more than a quarter of a mile away though!
Just past the Grotto Falls parking area sign there are a few standard parking spots, but not many. If there are no spots here, you basically will just keep driving until you find a spot along the side of the road.
As you are driving to the Grotto Falls trailhead parking lot, it’s also very possible that you’ll start to notice cars that are parked along the side of the road as you get close to the trailhead.
At that point, you may want to start looking for any open spots you can to park.
And because this is a one-way road, once you’ve passed an open spot, there’s no going back to it! You may also find places to park along the side of the road after passing the Grotto Falls parking spaces.
So once you have parked, you can walk over to the trailhead!
There is a bathroom at the Grotto Falls trailhead.
And then off you go on the trail!
You can also continue hiking on the Trillium Gap Trail past Grotto Falls to get to the Mount LeConte summit, the one of the highest peaks in the Smoky Mountains. While the Alum Cave Bluffs Trail is generally the more popular way to get to Mt LeConte, it’s possible to take the Trillium Gap Trail too.
And that’s a bit on how to get to the Grotto Falls trailhead!
If you’re interested in Grotto Falls, then you may also be interested in these top things around Great Smoky Mountains National Park:
- Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
- Baskins Creek Trail
- Arch Rock
- Laurel Falls
- Myrtle Point
- Clingmans Dome
- Cades Cove
- Things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (for VIEWS!)
HAPPY DRIVING TO THE GROTTO FALLS TRAILHEAD!
Here are more ideas for a few days in the Smoky Mountains!
More of the best things that the Smoky Mountains is known for is hiking!If you're looking for just one solid day hike in the Smoky Mountains, there's the Mount LeConte hike. Most often this is done as a day hike, but you can also stay overnight near the Mount LeConte summit! There is the LeConte Lodge, which claims to be the highest guest lodge in the eastern part of the United States! (It does book up!)
There are also lots more hikes that come with mountain views. See more about some of the best hikes in the Smoky Mountains.
There are also a lot of hikes to waterfalls. See more about the best waterfall hikes in the Smoky Mountains.
You can also go camping in the mountains. See more about the best campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. (No showers in the national park, though!)
Cost to go to Great Smoky Mountains National Park
There is no national park entry fee for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but as of 2023, there is a parking fee.You'll need a parking pass when you go to the Smoky Mountains.
You can wait until you arrive to buy the parking pass, or you can buy it online before you go at recreation.gov.
Depending on how many days you will be in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the cost of parking will be $5 or $15 per vehicle.
Plan out your time in the Smoky Mountains!
Some of the best known things in Great Smoky Mountains National Park include Clingmans Dome, Cades Cove, and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail!For Clingmans Dome, you can get great views from the parking lot, or you can hike up to the highest point in the Smoky Mountains! (No matter what, you do need weather on your side, though! For me, 3rd time was the charm at Clingmans Dome!) See more about Clingmans Dome.
For Cades Cove, it's all about the slow-going Cades Cove Loop Road! You can drive it, bike it, or walk it! You can make stops to walk inside historic cabins, see a historic mill, and even do a waterfall hike! See more about Cades Cove.
The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is also a slow-going road that you drive and make stops along the way, including quiet stops along a creek or waterfalls hikes. See more about the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
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