Little River Trail - Little River Trail in the Smoky Mountains

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Little River Trail
Trail Features:		Stream / Wildflowers / Historical
Trail Location:		Elkmont
Roundtrip Miles:		4.9 miles
Total Elevation Gain:		412 feet
Avg. Elev Gain / Mile:		168 feet
Highest Elevation:		2637 feet
Trail Difficulty Rating:		5.72 (moderate)
Parking Lot Latitude:		35.65365
Parking Lot Longitude:		-83.58018

Directions to Trailhead:

From the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, drive 4.9 miles on Little River Road to the Elkmont Campground turnoff on your left. After turning into Elkmont, drive 1.4 miles until you reach the campground. Instead of proceeding into the campground, you will need to turn left to reach the parking area for the Little River Trail. The parking lot for the Little River Trail will be 0.6 miles from the campground.

From the Townsend “Y” intersection near Cades Cove, the turnoff for the Elkmont Campground will be 12.6 miles away.

Trail Description:

The Little River Trail is a gentle climb along an old gravel road, paralleling the river of the same name for the entire length of the trail. The river is a beautiful cascading stream with large boulders and several small waterfalls.

At the beginning of the trail you’ll pass by a couple of the old resort cottages of Elkmont. The cottages were built in the 1920s and were used as summer homes by the affluent from Knoxville. The homes are now in disrepair and are off limits to the public.

Along the early portions of the Little River Trail you’ll stroll past several patches of rhododendron. As we proceeded up river we noticed yellow trillium, dwarf cinquefoil, stonecrop and other wildflowers.

At roughly 2.2 miles, a small 20-foot waterfall tumbles into the Little River. The waterfall flows down the slope of the hill next to the trail before running underneath a footbridge.

At just under 2.5 miles you’ll reach the Cucumber Gap Trail Junction. This is the typical turn-around point for this trail; however, you have a couple of options if you’re feeling up to it. You could continue following the Little River upstream for a couple more miles, or you could extend your hike up to Husky Gap, or you could make a loop trail by turning right onto the Cucumber Gap Trail.