Great Smoky Mountains National Park · North Carolina, Tennessee

Gabes Mountain Trail

6.8 mi of trail, end to end · Hike to Hen Wallow Falls: 4.3 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · about 1,300 ft of climbing · 2,168 ft–3,256 ft · native surface · trail class Developed

WaterfallsHistoryBackcountry campsGaps

2,332 ft 2,426 ft · 6.0 mi high 3,256 ft

Along the way #34 Sugar Cove Bearneck Gap Jennifer Cemetery Sallie Sutton Cemetery Hen Wallow Falls

Trailheads Gabes Mountain Trail Trailhead 2,165 ft Drive there · Gabes Mountain Trail Trailhead 2,299 ft Drive there

Hike to Hen Wallow Falls 4.3 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up

no dogs · entrance fee applies

Waterfall that starts thin and fans out at the bottom. Boulders near base and vegetation on sides.
Hike 4.3 miles (6.9 km) roundtrip from Gabes Mountain Trailhead near the Cosby Picnic Area. Photo: NPS Photo/Davis

Overview

Hike 4.3 miles (6.9 km) roundtrip through a hardwood forest with hemlock and rhododendron to a popular 90-foot (27-m) waterfall in Great Smoky Mountains National Park .

This trail includes some steep sections and switchbacks. Hen Wallow Creek, only two feet wide at the top of the falls, separates into two streams and fans out to 30 feet at it tumbles to the base of the falls. If you look carefully, you can often see salamanders in the pool at the bottom. Hikers continuing on the Gabes Mountain Trail beyond the falls can enjoy an impressive old-growth forest.

Length

4.3 miles (6.9 km) roundtrip

Parking & Trailhead

Park in the designated hiker parking area at Cosby Picnic Area near the entrance to Cosby Campground and backtrack on foot approximately 100 yards along the entrance road to the signed start of Gabes Mountain Trail. Don't forget your parking tag .

Nearest Restroom

Cosby Picnic Area

Alternate Hikes

Lynn Camp Prong Cascades : 1.4 miles (2.3 km) roundtrip

Mouse Creek Falls : 4 miles (6.4 km) roundtrip

Pets The Gatlinburg Trail and Oconaluftee River Trail are the two park trails where pets are permitted. Pets are also allowed in picnic areas, in campgrounds, and on roads.

Accessibility Hike has steep sections and tree roots across multiple sections of trail.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 244 trails in Great Smoky Mountains National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" 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 park's own site before you go.