Cherokee National Forest · Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina

Rock Creek Trail

5.5 mi of trail, end to end · Rock Creek Falls Hike: 1.5 mi one way in the Service's write-up · trail No. 125 · the forest publishes the line only

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 35.0562, -84.4560 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Rock Creek Falls Hike 1.5 mi one way · the Forest Service's write-up

View of Rock Creek Falls Hike in Cherokee National Forest
Photo: US Forest Service

This 1.5-mile (one-way) hike begins in Rock Creek Recreation Area. There are numerous creek crossings, so plan on getting your feet wet.

The trail lies in the Congressionally designated Unaka Mountain Wilderness. Take extra caution when hiking this trail because the trail is not blazed and stream crossings may be difficult to negotiate.

Restrictions This is a hiking only trail.&nbsp; Recreation in congressionally designated Wilderness is intended to be primitive in nature.&nbsp;Group size is limited to 14 people, but remember that&nbsp;<em>6 or less is best.&nbsp; </em>For more information about congressionally designated Wilderness, please visit <a href="http://www.wilderness.net/" target="”_blank”">www.wilderness.net</a>.

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Rock Creek Gorge Waterfalls Hike 1.6 mi each way · the Forest Service's write-up

This moderate trail takes you in to the Rock Creek Gorge Scenic Area, known for it's waterfalls. This trail is 1.6 miles (each way), and includes several creek crossings.

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Cherokee National Forest

All 185 trails in Cherokee National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.