Baskins Falls is sandwiched in between two more famous Smoky Mountains waterfalls along the Roaring Fork Motor Trail: Rainbow Falls and Grotto Falls. For that reason, the 1.5 mile hike down Baskins Creek Trail to the waterfall will be much less crowded. Baskins Creek flows down the north slope of Mt. LeConte, eventually passing by…
There are some wonderful and easy Smoky Mountains hikes at 5000 feet and above that will transport you from the dense hardwood forests of the Southeast to the balsam-scented spruce and fir forests of the Great North Woods. You don’t need to be a back-country camper or Appalachian Trail through-hiker to find the surreal serenity…
The Thomas Divide is a 14-mile spine along the eastern side of the Deep Creek watershed. The Kanati Fork Trail climbs up the eastern side of the Thomas Divide, rising over 2000 feet from Newfound Gap Rd in a series of switchbacks until it meets the Thomas Divide Trail on the ridge. The two trails…
The hike to Spruce Flat Falls in the Tremont section of the Smoky Mountains is one of my favorite outings. Last weekend I headed up the trail once more, this time with my daughter Sarah and her husband Paul, my four grandsons and brand new grand-daughter in a papoose! It was a beautiful Saturday after…
The Walker Sisters Place is one of many Smoky Mountain homesteads. The five spinster sisters clung to the old self-reliant way of life and became legends in the Smokies. Their lifetime lease on the property ran out in 1964 when the last sister died. Their parents, John and Margaret, had moved to the homestead in…
Spruce Flat Falls is one of the hidden gems of the Smoky Mountains. The hike is about a mile each way, not too rugged but with a bit of a climb. The trail passes through a thicket of Mountain Laurel, which will be in bloom the first week or two in May. It’s also a…
This is a short, sweet hike with a special and nearly secret destination. Jakes Creek Trailhead is the starting point, which is found by turning left just before entering the Elkmont campground. Go on past the first parking area for the Little River Trail, to the new parking area near the old Elkmont cabins. Walk…
The route to Grotto Falls is one of the sweetest little trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, not much more than a mile. As the sign indicates, it’s a part of the Trillium Gap Trail which goes on up to Mt. LeConte. The trail starts from a parking area along the Roaring Fork…
Lynn Camp gets its name from a logging camp of the Little River Lumber Company in the 1920s. The old railroad trace provides a wide, flat path that is popular for horseback riding. I love to walk along the old railroad grade beside the Lynn Camp Prong in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s…
Just a hundred yards north of the Townsend Wye is a parking lot, and across the road is the start of the Chestnut Top Trail. In spring this is one of the premier wildflower hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trail cuts into a steep embankment, climbing steadily for the first half-mile…
For ten months of the year the Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail is a short unassuming excursion that is part of the Chimneys Picnic Area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But come April, this trail is transformed into a fairyland of wildflowers. You could hike the Cove Hardwoods Trail every few days during wildflowers…
Porters Creek Trail is a delightful meander in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Head east out of Gatlinburg on Route 321, then after about 6 miles, the Greenbrier entrance will be on the right. Head up Greenbrier Road, which eventually turns to gravel, passed the bridge to the Ramsay Cascades…
The Big Creek section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is on the eastern side, with the easiest access being from Interstate 40. Take the Waterville exit (451), which is the last Tennessee exit going east. Proceed through a hydroelectric plant, crossing into North Carolina, through a four-way rural intersection and into the Park….
I live in Gatlinburg TN, on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Smokies are a very spiritual place, and I attempt to capture some of that spirit in each of my photographs.
If you are in Gatlinburg, please stop in at my gallery .
Follow William Britten's Smoky Mountains News and Photos on Facebook!
By pressing 
in the box above, you can follow the celebration of life in the Great Smoky Mountains with stunning photos, daily news posts, photo tips, and special offers to Facebook fans!
Join my Wildflower Community on Facebook!
