Baskins Creek Falls
Baskins Creek Falls
4.2
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4.2
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Emily O
Nashville, TN28 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
Kind of steep in some sections, but very accessible to kids and families. I attempted this trail in October of 2024 and had to turn around because I ran into a bear - so just keep your eyes open! I finished this time with no bear sightings. The waterfall is beautiful!! The parking situation is not great. Very few parking spots at the actual trailhead, and the road in is one way so you can’t turn around and try to park uphill from the trailhead. You will also need a Smoky Mountain parking pass, which you cannot get at the trailhead.
Written August 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jpete02
Lansing, MI989 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
Tough hike even though the round trip is less than 3 miles. Very good description of trail in the review preceding mine. Agree that this hike is not for kids under the age of 10. Even if you are in great shape, this hike will still take you over two hours.
Hiked during a hot day in the summer and the worst part was the uphill climb on the way back. There is also some scrambling up and down rocks once you turn off the main trail to the spur to the falls. In addition, there was one small creek crossing in which you had to get your feet wet.
Parking is a nightmare. Best bet is to get here early, and park in the farthest rainbow falls parking lot and hike to the start of this trail (Baskins Creek Trail). When you hike on this trail, the first spur to your left after about 1.1 miles leads to a graveyard. The second spur to your left after 1.3 miles leads to the falls. Both are marked at this time.
Hiked during a hot day in the summer and the worst part was the uphill climb on the way back. There is also some scrambling up and down rocks once you turn off the main trail to the spur to the falls. In addition, there was one small creek crossing in which you had to get your feet wet.
Parking is a nightmare. Best bet is to get here early, and park in the farthest rainbow falls parking lot and hike to the start of this trail (Baskins Creek Trail). When you hike on this trail, the first spur to your left after about 1.1 miles leads to a graveyard. The second spur to your left after 1.3 miles leads to the falls. Both are marked at this time.
Written August 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mmg0713
Newburgh, IN567 contributions
Mar 2022 • Family
Visited this waterfall with 3 kids (ages 4, 13, 16). This is not a kid-friendly trail for little ones. Parking is a nightmare because it’s with rainbow falls and grotto falls parking. Get there early. The trailhead is very confusing. Not marked at all for the falls. We finally just made an educated guess on which direction to go and it paid off. I do believe there are 2 other ways to get to the falls but we couldn’t figure out the other options to avoid this parking area. The downloadable trail maps would be very helpful here…..
vista views within minutes of starting to hike were beautiful and walked you through a lot of the previously burnt (now regrowing) forest from the fire a few years ago. The walk doesn’t turn downhill until about 1/2 mile in. There’s an old cemetery on this trail up one side about 400 feet at about mile 2.5. It is marked. Walk further (3/4 mile) for the waterfall once back on the main trail. You will get muddy. Trail sandals helped me and 1 of my children because they dry quicker than the shoe/sock combination others in my family had on. (These are different than regular sandals and are helpful for hiking). Multiple small creeks to cross without bridges make for a more muddy experience. 3 areas of the trail were still very muddy from rain many days ago. The walk out is difficult only because it’s got a very long uphill portion.
Make sure to cross over (safely) to the other side of the waterfall up near the bottom of the waterfall and go around the large rock… you might see a rainbow in the waterfall like we did :). Kids should NOT cross over the falls here. Just adults.
Waterfall was spectacular and there were maybe 10 people there besides our family of 5. Overall this is a great hike for older kids…. We’ve done Ramsey, Mt. Leconte, Abrams, Mingo (Cherokee), chimney tops, alum cave, and clingmans dome and a few other trails in gsmnp. The uphill hike of this is similar to clingmans only longer and not quite as drastic of an incline (if this helps). I’d say it’s not “easy,” it’s not for kids younger than 10/11 unless they’re hikers, it’s not for people who are out of shape lol and it’s an uphill battle on the way back out…. But worth it.
vista views within minutes of starting to hike were beautiful and walked you through a lot of the previously burnt (now regrowing) forest from the fire a few years ago. The walk doesn’t turn downhill until about 1/2 mile in. There’s an old cemetery on this trail up one side about 400 feet at about mile 2.5. It is marked. Walk further (3/4 mile) for the waterfall once back on the main trail. You will get muddy. Trail sandals helped me and 1 of my children because they dry quicker than the shoe/sock combination others in my family had on. (These are different than regular sandals and are helpful for hiking). Multiple small creeks to cross without bridges make for a more muddy experience. 3 areas of the trail were still very muddy from rain many days ago. The walk out is difficult only because it’s got a very long uphill portion.
Make sure to cross over (safely) to the other side of the waterfall up near the bottom of the waterfall and go around the large rock… you might see a rainbow in the waterfall like we did :). Kids should NOT cross over the falls here. Just adults.
Waterfall was spectacular and there were maybe 10 people there besides our family of 5. Overall this is a great hike for older kids…. We’ve done Ramsey, Mt. Leconte, Abrams, Mingo (Cherokee), chimney tops, alum cave, and clingmans dome and a few other trails in gsmnp. The uphill hike of this is similar to clingmans only longer and not quite as drastic of an incline (if this helps). I’d say it’s not “easy,” it’s not for kids younger than 10/11 unless they’re hikers, it’s not for people who are out of shape lol and it’s an uphill battle on the way back out…. But worth it.
Written March 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HeardItBothWays
Easton, PA2,359 contributions
May 2021
My husband and I visited Baskin Creek Falls during our time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
This was one of the quieter trails we found, which was nice given how packed the park gets on the weekend. It's a steep hike - a steady uphill about 900 feet. It wreaked a bit of havoc on my asthma between the high TN humidity and the steepness of the incline. I definitely had to ration my inhaler!
The falls at the end were lovely and peaceful, though, with the exception of a loud group of ~15 people who came at the end but that's not the fault of the waterfall. Along the way, we saw beautiful flowers and butterflies.
This is a nice option to get a solid workout and to escape the crowds elsewhere in the park!
This was one of the quieter trails we found, which was nice given how packed the park gets on the weekend. It's a steep hike - a steady uphill about 900 feet. It wreaked a bit of havoc on my asthma between the high TN humidity and the steepness of the incline. I definitely had to ration my inhaler!
The falls at the end were lovely and peaceful, though, with the exception of a loud group of ~15 people who came at the end but that's not the fault of the waterfall. Along the way, we saw beautiful flowers and butterflies.
This is a nice option to get a solid workout and to escape the crowds elsewhere in the park!
Written July 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lovetravel2
930 contributions
Sep 2021 • Friends
This is a very quiet beautiful trail. I read reviews that it is difficult, but I would rate it as moderate. As long as you are fit, you will have no trouble. It is straight down to the falls, then at the bottom there are some rocks and stuff to crawl over to get around to see the falls, a little tricky. The way back up is steep, but if you are having trouble just stop and catch your breath. It will probably take you between 2 and 3 hours, depending on your level of endurance. It took us 2.5 hours and that was spending time at the falls and veering off to check out the cemetery towards the bottom. There were even bear on the trail, just not a lot of parking. I do recommend this, it is well worth the climb back up.
Written September 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GoSeeItMom
Hershey, PA116 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
It’s quite the strenuous hike. Returning from the falls is almost all uphill, but I’m not in shape and I was able to do it. We saw a deer on the trail, and other hikers were telling us they had seen bear. The trail was mostly shaded, which was nice for a hot July day. Just FYI when you’re done with the hike, it will take you quite a while to drive out of the park as it’s a one-way road that winds through the park for quite a while. I really enjoyed the drive but just make sure you have the time allotted for that.
Written July 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Silverfalcon3
Statham, GA309 contributions
Sep 2022
Very challenging! We saw bear foot prints. We were warned about a bear on path ahead. The walk down was tough on knees. Last 25 feet we climbed down. The walk back up was difficult on heart and lungs. We enjoyed it but it’s a strenuous hike. Beautiful waterfall. Not crowded at all. It’s difficult to find trail. Park at Rainbow Falls. Walk up roaring fork motor trail. It’s on left. Don’t risk finding 1 of 3 spots at trailhead.
Written September 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LeSteveO
Lexington, KY66 contributions
Aug 2020
This was an enjoyable hike through mountainous woodland trails. We saw deer and wild turkey. The waterfall at the end was worth the hike. I would caution though that the trail is quite steep in places, and you to have to scramble a bit close to the fall. Took us a couple of hours there and back. Not as much foot traffic as some of the popular falls trails in this area. Well worth a visit.
Written August 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SShah30
Chicago, IL53 contributions
Oct 2014 • Friends
This was my first hike in a national park and this review may be slightly biased as I am not a professional hiker. This hike is suppose to be a "moderate 3 mile" hike -well it felt like a hard, strenuous 5 mile hike. I work out and am active and walk my 10,000 steps but this was not an easy hike for me. I struggled going to the falls and coming back was WORST. Its all elevation -you're going down for a bit then you're going up the entire time. When you actually get to the falls, that's the scariest part. You have these giants steps you have to jump/half climb on-it is scary and slippery!! The falls were okay and but the place was eerily quiet. It was a little bit spooky but I did get some good pictures of the waterfall. It is worth mentioning that this is a very remote hike. We were the only hikers there that day that were on this hike -we didn't see anyone there the entire time we were on this hike and it was really scary. To add the cherry on top-we saw Copperhead snakes on our way to the hike. This is not a hike for beginners and I would not recommend taking small kids (under 10) here. There are other ways to get to these falls apparently and I really wish we had looked into that because this path was extremely scary and hard to do. To conclude, I will say this- I was so scared after this hike that this was my first and last hike during my stay in the Smokies.
Written January 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HTownMelBell
Houston, Tx119 contributions
May 2014 • Family
As the other reviewer said, I am probably ruining this secret oasis for myself... but, this trail is the best trail I have ever been on (and I have been on a lot). I actually got within two feet of a bear - that could be a good thing or bad thing depending on what your looking for! Best of all it is devoid of huge tourist groups.
We went early on a Sunday morning, around 8am, and there was no one on the trail. About five minutes into the trail we saw a bear casually walking on the human trail. He turned and looked at us and kept on walking. I took a picture and he just looked at me again and walked away. He eventually leaped into the bushes. A few yards later I rounded a corner only to see another bear standing on the side of the trail eating. He ran into the bushes as well. The bears seem pretty tame, and if you have a quick hand you can probably get some great pictures.
The trail itself is so peaceful and quiet, and considered a moderate trail. It is easier going up than back down, but it's not too bad. The waterfall is beautiful as well. Even on the way back we didn't see any other hikers, and Gatlinburg was at 100% capacity that day, so I think this trail isn't very well known. Probably why the bears like it, can't blame them! It is 3 miles roundtrip I think if you just walk to the falls and back.
Finding the trail can be a little difficult, but with directions its easy. You have to drive to the Motor Fork Roaring Trail. To get to the motor trail, simply drive to Gatlinburg until you get to traffic light #6 or #8, they both converge into the Motor Trail. There are signs directing you to the motor trail. The Motor trail eventually turns into one way, so you want to be careful not to pass up the Baskins Creek sign. There are actually two entrances to Baskins Creek, one at the beginning of the motor trail and one towards the end. I suggest the one towards the end as it seems like less people know about it. It is between marker sign post #9 and #10. So slow down after you see #9, and right before #10 you will see a Baskins Creek sign on the left with a few side parking spaces. If you accidentally pass it up, no worries, a few feet away you will pass a bridge with sign post #10 and additional parking by some old houses. You can park here and walk the few feet to the trail.
If you get here early I think you will have a great time. It is an awesome trail, and if you love bears even better!
We went early on a Sunday morning, around 8am, and there was no one on the trail. About five minutes into the trail we saw a bear casually walking on the human trail. He turned and looked at us and kept on walking. I took a picture and he just looked at me again and walked away. He eventually leaped into the bushes. A few yards later I rounded a corner only to see another bear standing on the side of the trail eating. He ran into the bushes as well. The bears seem pretty tame, and if you have a quick hand you can probably get some great pictures.
The trail itself is so peaceful and quiet, and considered a moderate trail. It is easier going up than back down, but it's not too bad. The waterfall is beautiful as well. Even on the way back we didn't see any other hikers, and Gatlinburg was at 100% capacity that day, so I think this trail isn't very well known. Probably why the bears like it, can't blame them! It is 3 miles roundtrip I think if you just walk to the falls and back.
Finding the trail can be a little difficult, but with directions its easy. You have to drive to the Motor Fork Roaring Trail. To get to the motor trail, simply drive to Gatlinburg until you get to traffic light #6 or #8, they both converge into the Motor Trail. There are signs directing you to the motor trail. The Motor trail eventually turns into one way, so you want to be careful not to pass up the Baskins Creek sign. There are actually two entrances to Baskins Creek, one at the beginning of the motor trail and one towards the end. I suggest the one towards the end as it seems like less people know about it. It is between marker sign post #9 and #10. So slow down after you see #9, and right before #10 you will see a Baskins Creek sign on the left with a few side parking spaces. If you accidentally pass it up, no worries, a few feet away you will pass a bridge with sign post #10 and additional parking by some old houses. You can park here and walk the few feet to the trail.
If you get here early I think you will have a great time. It is an awesome trail, and if you love bears even better!
Written May 31, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are excited to do this trail next week. Where do we park and find the entrance to this trail?
Written July 26, 2015
In Gatlinburg turn on airport road at the space needle. Stay straight until you hit the one way roaring 🍴 motor trail, which essentially makes a horseshoe shaped drive. There are two trailheads for the Baskin creek falls trail, each approaching the falls from different directions. Either direction is a downhill hike to the falls. Numerous places have free trail maps and this trail should be marked on any of them. Enjoy!
Written July 27, 2015
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