Porters Creek Trail to Fern Branch Falls

The walk starts at the Porters Creek Trailhead, a gravel parking area at the dead end of Greenbrier Road. The first mile is an old gravel road beside Porters Creek. It passes stone walls from an old farmstead and the Ownby Cemetery, crosses a footbridge and comes to a wide junction. A side path on the right leads in about 350 yards to the Messer barn and a cabin built by the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club. The Porters Creek Trail keeps left, becomes a footpath, crosses the creek on a long footlog bridge and climbs more steeply. Fern Branch Falls is on the left at a small stream crossing. Return the same way.

It is 3.7 miles (5.9 km) round trip with 650 feet (197 m) of climbing; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy: an old road, then a rooty, rocky footpath, steeper near the end.

The falls drop about 40 feet down a mossy rock face and are best after rain. The trail is one of the best in the park for spring wildflowers. The footlog bridge is high and narrow and can be slippery.

The lot holds only about 20 cars. A parking tag is needed to park for more than 15 minutes: $5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year. Pets are not allowed on the trail.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.