Location: Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
As usual, Steve and I were eager to seek out the supposedly impressive waterfalls in our visit to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. One such waterfall was Rainbow Falls. However, we were both a bit disappointed with this waterfall.
Not That Impressive
Rainbow Falls is an 80 foot waterfall that tumbles over a cliff and across massive boulders to continue it’s way down stream. It could be the time of year that we chose to visit the waterfall, but all in all, it really wasn’t that impressive. The water was a little more than a stream and didn’t have any of that magic that most waterfalls have.
Prettier Waterfalls with Shorter Hikes
If you only have a limited amount of time in the Smoky Mountains, this waterfall’s gain doesn’t outweigh what’s lost. There are some much prettier waterfalls and scenery in the park with shorter hikes. However, I have to say that the trail to the waterfall was beautiful.
You Are Not Alone
Despite being 5.4 miles round trip and not that easy of a trail to hike, odds are you won’t be alone. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing but when I’m hiking in the wilds, the number of people around me and the number of people at my destination matters. We easily saw 30 people hiking this not-so-easy trail.
In the end, I have to say it wasn’t really worth the hike but we find beauty in all things and the hike itself really did have some amazing benefits.