ABRAMS TRAIL

ABRAMS TRAIL HIKING
A fairly easy 5-mile trek (round-trip). Plan on roughly three hours, depending on your pace and whether you have small children along. Since the departure point for this hike lies with Cades Cove, you will find little solitude unless you are hiking very early in the morning or in the “off” season before May or after the last pickets of Fall color have disappeared. However, even if the circumstances aren't ideal, the hike to Abram Falls in more than reward enough for the effort Abrams refers to a village on the Little Tennessee Elevation: Climb approximately 1,800 feet at one point but when you arrive at the falls you are actually 300 feet lower than when you started.
Point of Departure: You have entered Cades Cove from either Townsend or Gatlinburg via little River Road Drive along the one-way Cades Cove Loop Road 4.9 miles, and turn right on a gravel road that terminates within 0.5 miles at a parking area. Signs mark the area well, but you've gone too far if you get to the Cades Cove Visitors Center. The Abrams Falls Trail begins at the wooden bridge at Abrams Creek. The trail leads right 0.5 miles to the Elijah Oliver Place and left to begin the hike to Abrams Falls. Abrams Creek most of the way, except when twists from Arbulus Ridge to form a nearly one-mile loop resembling a “horseshoe,” a stretch of the creek that always been populated with trout fishermen when we've passed. At mile 2.5 you will cross Wilson Branch and take the short side trail to the falls.
Eighteen smaller streams drain the slopes of the Cades Cove enclosure and empty into Abrams Creek. At the falls, what was the relatively peaceful Abrams Creek is suddenly diverted into a Narrow chute along the right side, transforming Abrams to a violent and beautiful twenty food plunge over the ledge. During the hot summer months, the natural pool attracts sunbathers and swimmers. During June, the falls are formed by rhododendron and laurel that have grown up the steep bank found at this point on Abrams Creek. The mist created by the plunge of the falls creates a natural air conditioner, and the pool is a wonderful spot to pause, cool off, and enjoy some of the very best the Park has to offer the visitor.
For those who want to hike further, the remaining two miles of the trail are more isolated and challenging than the section you have just completed. The trail ends at Abrams Creeks Ford, when the hiker can pick up the Hannah Mountain Trail (which leads left 1.9 miles to the Rabbit Creek Trail.at Scott Gap) and Hatcher Mountain Trail (which leads right 2.8 miles to the Cooper Road Trailand the Beard Cove Creek Trail). Otherwise, you can retrace your steps to the Abrams Creek Trail and return to Cades Cove – completing the 5-mile trek to Abrams Falls and back. From there, you can continue on the Cades Cove Loop Road to the visitors' center where you can refresh yourself and then enjoy the remaining sighs of Cades Cove.
If you trek to Abrams Falls, it is a day-hike, take a knapsack and carry a few extra items. Include some bottled water and a snack. Never drink the water from a Park stream without boiling it first. Through the streams in the park an invitingly cool and deceptively clear, they carry bacteria that can wreck your trip and a substantial period thereafter, if you succumb to the temptation to drink from them. You might even include a camera in your knapsack, to. If you are making an over-night trip to the Le Conte Lodge, you'll be carrying a backpack, and we assume here that you have included all the necessary items and arranged for the required reservation at the lodge. A backcountry permit is required for overnight stays in the backcountry. Certain campsites are reserved in advance. Permits are available at visitors' center or by calling (865) 436-1231.