Great Smoky Mountains NP: Porters Creek Trail (Blog Hike #216)

Trail: Porters Creek Trail

Hike Location: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Geographic Location: east of Gatlinburg, TN (35.69815, -83.38639)

Length: 7.4 miles

Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: May 2016, May 2007

Overview: A long, moderate climb along gushing Porters Creek.

Park Information: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm
Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=440157
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Gatlinburg, take US 321 east 5.9 miles to Greenbrier Road.  Turn right on Greenbrier Rd.  After 1 mile Greenbrier Rd. passes the ranger station and turns to gravel.  A sign warns of damaged road ahead, but it’s not that bad: my Chevy Cavalier made the journey easily.  Continue another 3 miles to where this road ends at the large gravel parking area for the Porters Creek Trail.  Park here.

The hike: For my general comments on Great Smoky Mountains National Park, see the Abrams Falls hike.  Located only 7 miles from Gatlinburg in terms of distance but thousands of miles away in terms of ambiance, the Porters Creek Trail embodies everything that is good about the lower elevations of the Smokies.  Since this trail leads to a campsite and not to a bigger attraction such as a waterfall, this trail does not suffer from the congestion like many of the other hiking trails in the Smokies.  Still, Porters Creek is as scenic as any in the park, the spring wildflower display in late April is spectacular, and the trail takes you through the Porters Flat settlement, one of the relics of subsistence farmers mentioned above. 

While this trail forms an out-and-back route, you can make the hike more interesting by hiking in the morning when the sun is hidden behind the mountain to the east.  This way, you will hike uphill in near total shade, but when you hike back downhill, the sun will be out and filtering through the trees, making the trail look totally different.  One warning: this trail contains a lot of rocks and roots, so make sure you wear good footwear with sufficient ankle support, otherwise your ankles may be complaining before you are done.

Trailhead for Porters Creek Trail

            Begin by making your way around the vehicle gate that blocks car traffic at the parking lot.  The first mile of the Porters Creek Trail follows a continuation of the gravel road you drove in on.  After only 200 feet, Porters Creek comes into view downhill to your left; it will be audible and usually visible for the rest of the hike.

Monarch butterfly on the trail

            At 0.4 miles, the trail crosses a small tributary of Porters Creek.  Although this tributary is easily waded, a footlog is provided to keep your feet dry.  Drawn from the word footbridge, a footlog is the most common type of bridge found on hiking trails in the park.  A footlog is constructed by placing a large log length-wise over the stream you wish to cross and then shaving off the top of the log to make a level surface on which to place your foot.  Many times a hand rail is made out of smaller logs to make the crossing a little easier.

            At 0.5 miles, you reach the remnants of the Porters Flats settlement.  Once a small town that served nearby subsistence farmers, the most obvious remains of the settlement today are the stone walls that once comprised fences and divided property.  A short trail leading up some stone steps allow a closer inspection, which reveals some building foundations in addition to the walls.

Stone walls of Porters Flats

            In another 0.1 miles, another short side trail leads uphill and to the right to a small cemetery.  Since family members of the deceased still decorate the graves, you might see some colorful flowers before you see the headstones.  Take a minute to examine the cemetery.  Many of the headstones are illegible, but most of the headstones you can read date to the early 1900’s.  Also, many of the people buried here lived only a very short period of time (often days instead of years), a testament to how hard life was in communities such as this.

Porters Flats cemetery

            At 0.7 miles, the trail crosses another small tributary of Porters Creek.  At 1 mile, the gravel road you have been following ends at a cul de sac.  If you were hiking this trail many years ago, you would have started here.  A total of three trails leave this cul de sac.  Exiting to the far right is a short trail that leads to a restored homestead.  To get an idea of the conditions these subsistence farmers lived under, you should take a couple minutes to explore this homestead.  Behind the homestead is a small cabin whose primitive sleeping quarters are now used by a hiking club.

Restored homestead

            The second trail to leave the cul de sac is the Brushy Mountain Trail (not described here), which leads 4.9 miles to Brushy Mountain.  Our hike continues to follow the Porters Creek Trail, which exits the cul de sac on the left, closest to Porters Creek.  The trail is now a dirt path with lots of rocks and roots.

            The trail tops a small rise and heads downhill for about 100 feet.  This is one of only two short downhill sections on the outward portion of this hike, so enjoy it while it lasts.  The ravine here is choked with large quantities of mountain laurel in the understory.  At 1.3 miles, you will cross another tributary of Porters Creek via a footlog.  At 1.6 miles, the trail crosses Porters Creek via a long and high footlog.  This bridge looks a bit intimidating, but even people scared of heights (such as myself) will get across by putting one foot in front of the other.

Long footlog over Porters Creek

            On the other side of the creek, the trail gets slightly rockier and steeper.  Climbing away from the creek, you begin perhaps the most intense climb of the hike, first using a pair of switchbacks, then climbing steadily along a ledge with the creek down a steep hill to your right.  At 1.9 miles, this climb ends at a small dripping waterfall to your left called Fern Branch Falls.  This falls makes a nice change of scenery but pails in comparison to the more famous falls in the park.

Fern Branch Falls

            Past the falls comes the second downhill section of the hike as the trail returns to near creek level.  From here, the climb is long and steady to reach the campsite.  Take your time: whenever you feel yourself getting winded, stop and admire the creek and the surrounding mature forest.

            At 2.5 miles, the trail curves left as you pass a confluence of Porters Creek with a major tributary.  The mountain laurel that dominated at the lower elevations is now gone, and holes in the canopy allow sunlight to reach the floor, creating a grassy understory that features lots of maidenhair ferns.  At 3.4 miles, the trail curves left away from Porters Creek, which now disappears through the understory downhill to your right.

Still climbing

            At 3.7 miles, you reach a small wooden post engraved with the number 31, indicating you have reached backcountry campsite #31, the destination of this trail.  Several logs beckon you to sit, have a trail snack, and admire the creek both visually and audibly.  Some wires allow campers to store food high out of the reach of bears.  If you hike this trail in the morning as suggested in the introduction, you will likely be alone here.  If you hike the trail in the afternoon, you may be joined by some campers who plan to spend the night here.

Campsite #31

            While an unofficial trail continues past the campsite to the Appalachian Trail, it quickly becomes very difficult to discern, so it is probably best to end your ascent at the campsite.  Retracing your steps 3.7 miles almost entirely downhill will return you to the trailhead and complete the hike.