A real climb to a tall single-drop falls
Rainbow Falls is the waterfall hike for people who want to earn it. The trail leaves from Cherokee Orchard Road, just inside the park at the back of Gatlinburg, and climbs beside LeConte Creek to a falls the park has put at about 80 feet, 5.6 miles round trip. The NPS puts the climb at about 1,500 feet from the trailhead to the falls. The park used to rate the hike moderate while noting that some visitors find it difficult, and its accessibility note today is blunter: very steep and rocky.
The name comes from the mist. On sunny afternoons, the spray at the base of the falls throws up a rainbow. On the way up you pass through varied forest with some old-growth trees, alongside burn scars left by the 2016 fire, and cross three footbridges as the trail follows the creek up.
The falls are also the first landmark on one of the five routes to Mount LeConte. The same trail keeps climbing past the falls to the summit at 6,593 feet, 6.7 miles from the trailhead and 13 miles round trip. Above the falls it meets the Bullhead, Alum Cave and Trillium Gap trails, and the best views are at the signed Cliff Top and Myrtle Point.
How to do it well: early, well shod and paced for the descent
Be at the trailhead early. The NPS warns of extreme crowding and limited parking at Rainbow Falls. There’s an upper and a lower lot on Cherokee Orchard Road, 48 spaces in all by the NPS count, and the trail can be reached from either, but both fill. Get there first thing in the morning, or take a shuttle, as the NPS suggests. The road also feeds the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and the Noah “Bud” Ogle farmstead, so cars keep arriving all day.
Buy the parking tag. There’s no entry fee, but any car parked in the park for more than 15 minutes needs a parking tag (daily, weekly or annual), sold online and at in-person sales points. Most trailheads have no tag machine, so buy it before you leave the cabin.
Budget half a day. The park’s own estimate is about 3 to 5 hours to the falls and back. The climb is steady rather than brutal, but it rarely lets up, and the way down is where tired legs roll ankles on loose rock. Carry all your water, since the creek must be treated, and note that the pit toilets at the trailhead are the only facilities.
Wear proper shoes. Large stretches of the trail are rocky and uneven. The NPS tells hikers not to try it in sandals or flip-flops, and sturdy hiking shoes make both the climb and the descent safer.
Winter: go for the ice, but gear up. The park has noted that an ice formation can build around the falls during extended cold spells. The NPS also notes that the trail is often icy in winter, recommends microspikes that slip over your boots, and warns of falling icicles. Check the NPS closures page before you go: Cherokee Orchard Road can close for weather or maintenance.
Going on to Mount LeConte. Treat it as a separate, strenuous day: 13 miles round trip and steep, rocky, with stairs. Start at dawn and carry more water and layers than you think you need. In high water, the NPS suggests using the Bullhead Trail for LeConte instead.
The trade-offs, and who should skip it
It’s harder than a waterfall hike sounds. Families expecting a short, easy waterfall walk get a long, rocky climb instead. Kids who hike regularly will be fine; toddlers in carriers and reluctant walkers won’t be.
The rocks at the falls are the danger. The spray and algae make the rocks around the falls very slippery. The NPS says people have died and many more have been seriously hurt climbing on rocks near park waterfalls. Stay off the ledges and the rocks at the base, and keep children close.
Bears use this area. The NPS notes black bears are sometimes active along the trail. Keep your distance and never feed them. Getting within 50 yards, or close enough to disturb one, is illegal.
No dogs. Pets aren’t allowed on the trail.
Who should skip it: hikers who want an easy outing with little kids, anyone with bad knees who dreads a long rocky descent, and anyone who can only arrive mid-morning on a peak-season weekend. For a shorter waterfall off the same road, Grotto Falls on the motor trail is easier, though its lot fills just as fast and the motor trail closes in winter.
