WaterfallNear Me

Cataract Falls

Sevier County, Tennessee

Your visit at a glance

Waterfall height
Not recorded
Location
Sevier County, Tennessee
Access status
Guide: short walk from Sugarlands Visitor Center
The walk
0.7 mile round trip
Ground & access
Short forest trail beside Fighting Creek with a large bridge. Rocks around the falls are slippery; the park warns against climbing on them.
National Park Service: Cataract Falls
Cataract Falls, TN
Cataract Falls, TN
Photo creditPhoto: Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Gatlinburg, TN, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Cataract Falls is a narrow 40-foot waterfall on Fighting Creek, a short walk from Sugarlands Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park at the visitor center, walk past the restrooms and behind the building, and turn left off the paved path onto the Fighting Creek Nature Trail. After crossing the large bridge, turn right at the trail junction and follow the side trail to the falls. The park says the falls are most dramatic after heavy rain and that visitors have been badly injured climbing around the falls, so view and photograph them from the bottom. Return the same way.

Plan your visit

Sugarlands Visitor Center, Fighting Creek Nature Trail, then the Cataract Falls side trail

The National Park Service gives the falls hike as 0.7 mile (1.1 km) round trip from Sugarlands Visitor Center.

Short forest trail beside Fighting Creek with a large bridge. Rocks around the falls are slippery; the park warns against climbing on them.

Where to start

Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot. The park says accessible restrooms and parking are available at the visitor center.

Timing & water

Open year-round as a park trail. The falls are small and most dramatic after heavy rain.

Before you go

A Great Smoky Mountains National Park parking tag is required for any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes. The park lists daily ($5), weekly ($15) and annual ($40) tags. The tag must be displayed in the vehicle and does not guarantee a parking space. No booking is needed for the trail.

Visitor information
Visit sources

More waterfalls nearby

Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.

Explore Tennessee

Waterfall location

Sevier County, Tennessee.

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