At the entrance of the motor nature trail you can purchase a booklet with a map that details landmarks along the road, which takes its name from the Roaring Fork stream flowing alongside it. The stream itself is named for the loud noise it produces due to its relatively fast flowing speed, particularly during times of heavy rain.
Multiple hiking trails are accessed off this road including Baskins Creek Trail (Baskins Creek Falls), Grapeyard Ridge Trail and Trillium Gap Trail (Grotto Falls). There are also several old barns, homesteads and grist mills located on the motor nature trail.
Towards the end of the motor nature trail (which concludes at US 321 just east of downtown Gatlinburg) you’ll pass the “Place of a Thousand Drips”- a unique waterfall which splits and cascades around piles of rocks stretching a considerable distance.
Directions to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
To get to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail if you’re coming from Pigeon Forge, turn off U.S. Highway 441, at traffic light #8 in downtown Gatlinburg, onto Cherokee Orchard Rd. After approximately 3.8 miles, turn right onto the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. This one-way road winds 6-miles deep into the Smokies at the base of Mt. LeConte and offers some of the best sightseeing in the park.
