One Day Wilderness: Hen Wallow Falls

This is a great trail in the Cosby section of the Smokies, it has the perfect recipe for a great, easy day hike where time is of the essence. Start out by driving to the TH and backtrack on the road to the Gabes Mtn. Trail, and start into the forest. Soon, you will cross over a nice bridge as the size of the trees gets bigger. Look out for some big American Chestnuts scattered about as the trail climbs up past a couple of Mt. Laurels that are budding out now. Also, the Rosebay Rhodies are starting to get close to flowering now, so in a couple of week’s it going to very colorful in this lush forest. Continue climbing and keep your eyes peeled on your right where some old settlement chimneys can be found that were part of the Ramsey’s Family Orchard. Soon you will get up to the split that leads down to the Falls, but do yourself a favor and continue higher up where the views improve and the trees get bigger. The Falls are in a wet cleft in the ridge where the water pours over big boulders that make for a lovely lunch spot.

Pleasant bridges cross small creeks

Mtn. Laurel!

Galax