Laurel Falls

We all decided to have a fun day yesterday and headed over to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park to hike the Laurel Falls Trail up to Laurel Falls.  The Laurel Falls trailhead is located about 4 miles from the Sugarlands Visitor Center and is the most traveled trail in the entire park.  The trail ascends Cove Mountain (elev. 4077 ft).  The trail is referred to as the most trampled, beaten and worn down path in the park.  Due to that the trail has been paved by the park with black concrete to help prevent any further erosion to the trailside.  The trail to Laurel Falls is 1.3 miles and climbs about 374 ft in elevation along the trail.  It can be a crowded trail and is only about three feet wide.  It does offer an easy hike to the falls and has wooden post markers, 13 of them, that are posted every 0.1 mile to guide the hikers to the falls.  Since it is such an easy climb the trail stays busy.  The trail winds through a second growth dense forest that has never been logged.  It is one of the few forests in the park that has not been logged.  There is thick Laurel through the forest and along the trail which is how the falls got its name.  After climbing the 1.3 miles you reach Laurel Falls which is an 80 ft multi-level waterfall and one of the must magnificent in the National Park.  At the falls there is a small foot bridge that crosses the falls and leads to a small rocky ledge to stand and enjoy the view.  It is a very crowded area so most people visiting the falls do not stay very long.  You can dip your toes into the falls and get close to the falls for pictures.  Once you reach Laurel Falls most visitors stop the hike there and then descend the trail back to the parking lot.  The trail does continue another 3 miles up to the summit of Cove mountain.  It is a dirt path through the woods where just before you get to the summit you reach an old fire road and a fire tower.  The Cove tower is one of three original fire towers left in the National Park.  At one time visitors could climb up the tower to get spectacular views of the mountains but it not deemed safe anymore to do so. 
We enjoyed our hike to the falls and although crowded it was still worth the hike.  We brought a picnic lunch with us so we ate our subs sitting on rocks while enjoying the view of the falls.  It was a nice way to celebrate our 32nd anniversary.