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 Rainbow Falls
 Trail Features:   Waterfalls
 Trail Location: Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
 Roundtrip Miles: 5.4 miles
 Total Elevation Gain: 1685 feet
 Avg. Elev Gain / Mile:  624 feet
 Highest Elevation: 4285 feet
 Trail Difficulty Rating:   8.77 (moderate)
 Parking Lot Latitude: 35.67582
 Parking Lot Longitude:   -83.48527

Directions to Trailhead:

Starting from Light 8 in Gatlinburg, turn onto Historic Nature Trail / Airport Road. At 0.7 miles, veer right onto Cherokee Orchard Road, upon which you'll enter into Great Smoky Mountain National Park. After driving another 2.2 miles, you'll enter the one-way Cherokee Orchard Loop. After driving about 0.6 miles on the loop, the Rainbow Falls trailhead will be on your right. (If this parking lot is full, there is an auxiliary parking lot about 0.1 miles further down the road)

Trail Description:

 

The first two-thirds of a mile on the Rainbow Falls Trail is a steady climb through a large boulder field. As you pass through this area, LeConte Creek cascades down the mountain on your right. There are many opportunities around here to find some great picnic sites along this section of the trail.

You'll cross over two footbridges; one at 1.7 miles and then another at 2.4 miles before reaching the 80-foot high waterfalls, roughly 2.7 miles from the trailhead.

 

Rainbow Falls is the highest single-drop waterfall in the Smokies.  

The name given for these waterfalls is a result of the rainbow that is produced by mist that becomes visible on sunny afternoons. During extended winter cold spells an impressive ice formation builds around the falls. You may notice a little bit of ice just to the right of the falls in the picture above.

 

The trail continues onto Mt. LeConte. If you still have the energy you can continue on for another 4.2 miles to reach the summit. Click here for more information on climbing the mountain as well as a short video showing highlights from the summit.