Abrams Falls in Cades Cove

Monday July 16, 2018                                                                             Most Recent Posts:
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I arrive at the beginning of the loop road at 7am and the cars are already lined up.  Apparently folks are willing to get out early to do this drive.  They open the drive to cars at Sunrise every day except Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Today that was at 6:32am.

Pay no attention to the bird decoration that happened on my window as I was taking this shot of the line in front of me. 

I have about 5 miles of this before I get to the gravel road that leads to the Abrams Falls Trailhead.

I’m the only one who turns off here and the first one to an empty parking lot despite that it took me 20 minutes to go 5 miles.

The trailhead is at the site of a former guest lodge run in the 1920’s by John Oliver whose cabin you can reach if you take a right fork rather than a left after you cross the bridge. 

The bridge across Abrams Creek is substantial.  Apparently the creek can be seriously mighty and they don’t want to have to replace the bridge.

At first the trail runs relatively level along the creek before it begins to climb.

It then rises and passes over a pine ridge, drops back down near the creek and then rises again.
Up and down it goes 4 times through beautiful forest scenerey. It weaves around the ridges of the area while roughly following the creek.  

At this point, I can see the creek below me as I climb.   Though it is mostly nearby, the thick foliage often blocks my view of the water.  Still, I can always hear its beautiful sound.

Rocks and roots of course.

I drop down again to a one log bridge over Arbutus Branch one of the tributaries of Abrams Creek.

Another slanted rail on a perfectly flat bridge.

Now whose print is this?  It’s almost as big as my shoe.

I’m headed back up to Arbutus Ridge.  I’d sure love to be here in the early spring if the name sake plant is blooming.  What a scent!

And then down again.  These big thin layered outcrops on such a slant always make me wonder how they got that way and are they slate?  Sue?

I make it up  to Arbutus Ridge for a few views.

No blue skies or puffy white clouds today.  No famous waves of mountains to be seen.

But then it’s back down to a foot bridge across another tributary, Stony Branch

These guys really stand out.

Down and up a third and final ridge.  None of the grades are terribly steep so I find this a wonderful trail to hike even with its ups and downs.

I suspect that’s Wilson’s Creek below me at this point.  Another of the many tributaries.

When I get down, I find this longer bridge crosses it and the warning sign tells me the falls is near.  In the trail description I used, it said  on the other side further along, there was a short side trail to the left that goes up to the top of the falls but I sure didn’t see it.

But I do find the side trail going off to the foot of the falls.

I get my first look at the falls which plunges 25’ into a large pool.  It sure looks more like a river than a creek. 

I’m told that the plunge pool is over 100 feet long and nearly the same in width.  Apparently, the pool is deep near the falls and has a very strong under current.  At least two drownings have been recorded here relatively recently so swimming is not a great idea however inviting it looks.  If you’d like to see and hear the falls, watch this short video.

I make my way around carefully hoping to get a straight on shot of the falls and also hoping to find the exit creek.  I’ve heard there have been otters here.  Operative words are “have been”.  Not today sadly.

A closer look shows  how big the tree that didn’t quite go over really is.

I’m starting to consider making my way through the log jam.

Looking at it from the pool its quite a log obstruction at the point the pool empties into the creek.

The force of the water actually creates ripples as it moves toward the exit to the creek.

I’m behind the log jam and on the creek at this point giving me a less angled view but cutting off the pool.

Sitting on one of the logs does afford me a good view of  the smaller streams of water coming over the ledges.  I couldn’t see these from the side in my first view.   They add to its beauty I think.  This picture also includes the first people to join me at 9am. 

I move back around to the side and take this selfie.  My hair is actually pretty wet from the spray of the falls.  It’s chilly down here as well.  Those two logs behind me, beside and hanging over the falls, will probably join the log jam before next year this time.

It’s just after 9:30 when I leave the falls for my up and down hike back to the car.

I spot a couple of things I didn’t see on my way in including this money plant.  Seems that I used to see them often in the Appalachian woods but I haven’t for a long time.

One last fungi for the lovers among us.

I pay more attention to the waters on my way back.  I know for sure where I’m going now.

I have a hard time calling these creeks but they are lovely.  18 creeks and branches flow into Cades Cove to form Abrams Creek which is the only water exit from Cades Cove.

Back at the parking lot, I’ve clearly been joined by a lot of other folks since I was the first car in the lot this morning.

The gravel road coming off the loop road and  leading to the falls trailhead is half mile long.  It seems shorter going out than it did coming in.  The skies are starting to look a little iffy.

The Abrams Falls trail head is located about half way around the 11 mile loop road and it is one way so I have to get in line and go the rest of the way around.   I stop at the Cades Cove Visitor Center since I’m here. 

It’s part of the Cable Mill Area which contains  the buildings that would have been part of a working farm here in the late 1800s.  A map of the area taken from the Cades Cove Auto Tour booklet shows the placement of the buildings.

The grist mill is on its original historic site but the other buildings were moved here from elsewhere in the park..  It’s a very complete and interesting complex which I’ve visited before so I don’t visit today.  It’s nearing noon and there are too many people.   I’m not sure when you could come and have fewer people.  Spring maybe or much later in the afternoon since cars are lined up for the drive when they open the gate at sunrise.

I do snap a photograph of the picturesque Gregg-Cable house and then set out again on the loop road.  I’d have taken a picture of the barn had it been visible from the walk to the visitor center.

Traffic, of course,  is backed up as cars move at about 10mph or less trying to take in everything without stopping.  Many do pull over at stops in the tour if they can or slow WAY down hoping for a parking place so they can stop.  While I wait,like the rest of the tourists,  I can get a view of the mountains that surround this valley without getting out of my car.

My last shot from Cades Cove today is pretty much the same as my first.  And I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.