ALONE
Last
week’s work assignment put me in prime hiking territory. I was sent to Cookeville, TN, of all
places. Cookeville is located on the
Cumberland Plateau, between Knoxville and Nashville. The Cumberland Plateau is a magical place,
full of caves, waterfalls, and mysterious disappearing streams. My job was expected to take a full five
days. Despite this, I threw my hiking
and camping gear in the trunk before I left, just in case I had a chance to
make use of it.
Cookeville
is actually a pretty nice town, despite its dysfunctional traffic lights. I did find a couple of nice restaurants there
during my visit. Plus, the city benefits
from the presence of Tennessee Tech University.
Unfortunately, the school’s colors are purple, which is never good.
I
finished my job around noon on Friday.
This meant that I could get home by Friday evening….or, I could go
hiking. If I went home, I would end up
driving a couple of hours (each way) to get back up to the mountains for a hike
on Saturday or Sunday. I decided to be
more efficient, and do my hiking on the way home. I could do a short hike on Friday afternoon
and then car camp somewhere that night.
That would enable me to hike again on Saturday before returning home.
My
plan for Friday afternoon was to do a couple of short hikes to waterfalls on
the Cumberland Plateau. From there, I’d
drive over to Elkmont in Great Smoky Mountains
National Park to camp. I’d do a more
substantial hike on Saturday morning before heading home.
I
drove to Crossville and continued on to my first hiking destination. A few minutes of exhaustive research in
Gregory Plumb’s guide to Tennessee Waterfalls had put Laurel Falls, near
Grandview, at the top of my to-do list.
A rather long drive down back roads brought me to the trailhead, which
is the middle of a farm. The book states
that the waterfall is on private property.
What it failed to mention is that there are numerous “No Trespassing”
signs posted at the trailhead. I wasn’t real comfortable with this, particularly
since the trailhead is in full view of the farmhouse. I decided to skip Laurel Falls and move on to
the next attraction.
Upper
and Lower Piney Falls are in a state recreation area. I drove through Grandview,
and out Firetower Road to the trailhead. I was just getting ready to hit the trail
when another car pulled into the parking area.
I greeted the other two hikers, and saw them briefly at the falls. They were the only other people I saw during
my hike.
From
the trailhead, I hiked an old roadbed through the woods. After 15 minutes or so I reached a junction,
with trails running to the left and to the right. I turned left, and
descended switchbacks into a rugged gorge.
Before long I passed a side trail to the left, heading down to the brink
of Lower Piney Falls. I decided to
continue ahead. That trail comes out at the top of the lower falls, but doesn’t
provide a very good view. I was pretty
sure I could find a route to the base of the lower falls, but it would require
a longer approach from downstream. I
decided to attempt that after visiting the upper falls.
Upper
Piney Falls is breathtaking, even at relatively low water levels. It features an 80’ free fall, followed by a
lovely run of cascades into a large, deep pool.
I followed the trail behind the falls, enjoying the view of the pool
through the curtain of water. I
continued on around to the far side and descended to the edge of the pool. From here I had an ideal vantage point of the
falls, the cascades, and the pool.
I
arrived a bit before 4pm on a sunny day.
The light wasn’t very good, but the sun was dropping. The waterfall is extremely scenic and very
photogenic, so I decided to wait. 45
minutes later the sun was finally down far enough to take photos. By the time I was finished, dusk was rapidly
approaching. Needless to say, I had to
shelve my plans to bushwhack to the base of the lower falls. I’ll have to save that one for another time.
I
hiked out, and returned to my car at last light. My timing was good in another sense,
too. I hit Knoxville after rush hour,
and traffic wasn’t terrible. From there
I headed straight for Elkmont in Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. In November, Elkmont is one of only three open campgrounds in the park.
Driving from Knoxville to Elkmont
means passing through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, which I normally avoid at
all costs. That area looks like Las Vegas and Myrtle
Beach mated, but the offspring didn’t come out quite right. Traffic was hideous, so I stopped for dinner
at a Mexican restaurant. I had a large
draft beer with my dinner. I don’t
always drive through Pigeon Forge, but when I do, I drink Dos Equis. It helps.
From
there I drove on to the park and to Elkmont. I found a vacant campsite without any trouble
and set up in the dark. I went to bed a
bit after 10, but didn’t sleep well.
There was just enough noise in the campground (including one erupting
car alarm at 3am) to keep me from getting a good night’s sleep.
I
got up at 6:30 the next morning. There
was barely any light, and temperatures must’ve been close to freezing. Getting up and breaking camp was unpleasant,
but I wanted to get an early start. I
planned to hike to a couple of waterfalls, and hoped to get to them while the
hordes in Gatlinburg were still eating breakfast.
There
was one car at the Laurel Falls Trailhead when I arrived shortly after 7. I’d never visited this waterfall, mainly
because the overflowing trailhead parking lot has always dissuaded me. In addition, the trail is paved, which isn’t
very appealing. However, since my
attempt at the Laurel Falls near Grandview had been thwarted, this one would
make a good substitute.
The
1.2 mile hike was quick, easy, and pleasant.
I moved fast, mainly to generate some heat in the morning chill. I passed two people on the way, and had
Laurel Falls to myself. Laurel Falls
cascades about 60’ in two tiers. The
trail crosses the creek on a bridge between the two levels. I crossed the bridge and followed a rough,
slippery scramble path down to the base.
From there I hiked downstream a short distance. Eventually I reached a vantage point with a
clear view of the full run of the falls.
I took some photos there, before returning to the trail. The hike out was fast and quiet. I didn’t see anyone else on the return hike.
From
there I drove back towards Gatlinburg.
Along the way I passed several trailheads for the “quiet walkway”. I’m not sure exactly what a “quiet walkway”
is, but it seems to me that it would be a lot quieter if it wasn’t so close to
the road.
During
the drive I ate a cold bagel with cream cheese.
I’m not sure if it was due to the cold or my caffeine addiction, but I
found myself daydreaming about coffee. I
passed through Gatlinburg at 8:30. There
is a coffee shop in Gatlinburg, but it doesn’t open until 9.
Question: “What kind of coffee shop doesn’t open until
9am?”
Answer: “The kind of coffee shop that is located in
Gatlinburg”.
I
drove north from Gatlinburg towards Cosby.
I then headed into Greenbrier Cove, which was surprisingly quiet at
9am. There were only two other cars at
the Ramsay Creek Trailhead when I arrived.
For
some reason I’d never hiked the 4 miles to Ramsay Cascades, either. I’d heard lots of good things about it over
the years, but for some reason it had eluded me. Today I would rectify that oversight.
The
trail starts with the first of three bridges over the creek. After the bridge, I hiked upstream along an
old roadbed. Although it was uphill,
this part of the hike was pretty easy.
The hike became more challenging once the road ended. The uphill grade continued, and the footing
became tricky because of the rocky tread.
The trail also crosses a branch of the main stream on two
occasions. Rock hopping was fairly easy
though, as water levels were pretty low.
The
trail passes through some old-growth forest.
One stretch was particularly memorable, as I hiked past some enormous Tuliptrees.
Old-growth forest is one of the main things that separate the Smokies from many other hiking destinations in the
southeast. I’m glad my hike included
some ancient trees.
I
reached the falls about 2 hours after I started. There was a father and daughter there when I
arrived, but they left a couple of minutes later. I spent almost an hour there, and had it all
to myself.
Ramsay
Creek Cascades may be the most impressive waterfall within the boundaries of
the park. The creek drops perhaps 60’
over a series of huge boulders, but the falls are nearly vertical. Although it was after 11am, the November sun
was still low enough that the light wasn’t terrible. I took some photos from the end of the trail,
before relocating to the very bottom of the falls. Getting a vantage point there was tricky
without getting wet. By the time I
positioned myself, the light was rapidly going downhill. I’ll have to return and get an earlier start
for better photos.
The
hike back was a different experience. I
passed a constant stream of hikers on their way in. This was a little annoying, but I was feeling
pretty smug about having had the falls to myself. When I returned to my car, I found the
trailhead parking area full. Clearly it
was time to hit the road!
Back to Tennessee
Back to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!