Hiking Rainbow Falls in Great Smoky Mountains
Rainbow Falls is a beautiful hike with a beautiful destination. While it’s a little more difficult of a hike, hiking Rainbow Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a real treat filled with water, bridges, boulders, and the tallest waterfall in the park.
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We recently visited Great Smoky Mountain National Park with our 4 kids and took them on this hike. There are a few things we were really happy we had with us, and some things I would recommend if I knew beforehand.
Is this hike for everyone? No. We were incredibly sore afterward and it’s a lot of uphill. Here I’ll show you a little bit of the Rainbow Falls trail, what to expect, and how to get there so you can decide if this hike is right for you.
Table of Contents
Why Rainbow Falls?
Rainbow Falls is the tallest, single-drop waterfall in all of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. “Rainbow Falls” isn’t just a cute, catchy name. On a nice, sunny afternoon you can often see a rainbow that forms at the base with the light just right, earning it its name.
This trailhead is incredibly popular, and very much worth the steep hike.
The falls weren’t very full in October, but the colors on the trail made up for it. Also look for the person sitting on the left in the rocks, that will give you perspective on how big this is!
How to Get to Rainbow Falls in Great Smoky Mountains
Unlike many hikes we did in Great Smoky Mountain, Rainbow Falls has an actual parking lot. This is great news, and once you drive around the park a bit, you’ll know what I mean.
Head towards the Roaring Fork Motor area of the park, which is just outside of (and not far from) Gatlinburg. You’ll begin on Cherokee Orchard Road, which will turn into a one-way loop. After about a half-mile on the one-way loop you’ll come to the parking area for Rainbow Falls Road.
If you don’t see a spot in the first lot, there is an additional parking area just a stone’s throw away from the first one. Do not park in no-parking areas, you WILL be ticketed.
The trailhead parking fills up fast and stays full all day. It may help to go early, but many people have the same idea. Busy season especially is just up to luck to find a parking spot.
No parking? Just roll with it and find another great hike in the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail area and try again another day. That’s what we had to do…many times!
Tip: Yes, there is a bathroom at the trailhead! (It’s a vault toilet.)
Parking Tags
Hiking to Rainbow Falls REQUIRES a parking tag. A parking tag is required anywhere in the park where you are parked for 15 minutes or more.
You can find parking tag kiosks at any visitor center, the Townsend or Gatlinburg welcome center, or at a few select picnic and parking areas. There is no fee machine at the Rainbow Falls (or entire Roaring Fork) area, so come ready with your tag.
You can also purchase your parking tag online ahead of your trip. It MUST be printed out and shown on your dash. Digital proof of your tag is not accepted.
Rainbow Falls Trail
This trail was no joke. It’s steep, gaining nearly 1,700 feet in elevation in just 2.7 miles. That’s a lot!
The trail is 5.4 miles round trip. It is uphill the entire way to the falls. It’s pretty rocky and full of tree roots in the trail. You even pass a tiny little grotto with a nice water trickle. It a great tease for what you’ll eventually find at Rainbow falls.
You’ll walk along a creek for a bit, then head more into the trees, crossing a few footbridges made from tall logs or giant, smoothed rocks across the river.
Rainbow Falls is beautiful! As you walk into the falls area, you’ll see an 80 foot drop (the tallest single drop falls in the park) with a nice landing pond that flows into the river. Giant, smooth boulders rest at the bottom, which make a great place to take out a few snacks to refuel for your hike back.
You are allowed to climb around the rocks to get closer, but the park really advises against it due to potential danger. Use common sense and take note of wet rocks and algae, both which can be very slippery.
Can Kids Hike Rainbow Falls at GSMNP?
If your kids are use to hiking, then give this trail a go. It’s so worth it in the end. If they are not use to hiking, I honestly would recommend skipping this one and trying a different waterfall hike in the park that is shorter.
Of course whenever you have little ones along for the hike, take it slow, take breaks, bring snacks, and consider a hiking carrier for younger ones.
For us, it helped being from Colorado. Our lungs weren’t burning like they usually do when he hike in the Rocky Mountains. I think that helped a LOT and our kids would have struggled if we didn’t have that elevation built into us.
What to Bring on this Hike
Hiking shoes. We typically use regular sneakers so that’s what I brought, and yes, they worked. But my feet were so sore the next day. Because of all the roots and rocks, it would have been nice to have something a little more sturdy on bottom to protect my feet.
I suggest these Merrells, as they are a top name in hiking shoes and have top reviews. My husband and I both have Merrells and find them nice and sturdy without being ridiculously chunky.
Snacks. Always bring snacks, especially when hiking with kids. It’s great to refuel, but it’s also a great motivator. Plus, one of my favorite things is to end up at a great, scenic destination and enjoy it while rewarding ourselves with a snack.
Hiking Poles. We did not use these, but for those with knee issues these would be a good idea for this hike.
Lots of water. Always a must on a hike.
Hiking Backpack to carry it all in. We have one like this and find it comfy, adjustable, spacious for our family of 6’s stuff, and much more affordable than name-brand.
How many Waterfalls are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
There are over 100 waterfalls in the park, plus so many little cascades along the 2,000+ miles of rivers. Seeing Rainbow Falls was such a treat to know of all these beautiful waterfalls, this is one of the shining features of the park. We also loved the waterfall at Baskins Creek which is in the same area of the park as Rainbow Falls.
How Long Does it Take to Hike Rainbow Falls in Great Smoky Mountains?
It took our family just over 3 hours to hike the Rainbow Falls trail, roundtrip. The hike up took slightly longer than coming back down.
It would have taken longer, but our youngest has two hiking modes: 1) stop every 100 feet for a break, or 2) run and always be ahead of us. She was in mode 2 and that kept our pace pretty strong.
If you are also bringing kids, I would plan anywhere from 3.5 to 5 hours for this trail. There are many variables to time, like your pace, how many stops/rests, and how long you stay up at the falls to enjoy it.
Just have one day at Great Smoky Mountains NP? You may want to skip this hike as it will take a good chunk of your day. But if you have a few days to spend in the park, this is a must-do, especially if you are there in spring or summer.
When to Visit Rainbow Falls
The best time to visit Rainbow Falls in Great Smoky Mountains is in the spring or summer. As with most waterfalls, they will be fuller when the park receives more rain.
We visited in October and there wasn’t much water spilling out of the falls at all. The setting was still beautiful with the boulders, water, trees, and smooth cliffside behind the falls. Plus, the trees were starting to change, which added a great burst of color.
Many people take their family vacation to Great Smoky Mountains in October because of the colors. That’s a great time to go for colors, it just may be a trade-off for full waterfalls.
But if you are betting of a full rush of water, October and beyond is not the time to go.
Animals at Rainbow Falls
We didn’t see any bears on the trail, but GSMNP is home to an estimated 1,900 bears so it’s not uncommon to spot one during your trip at some point. In fact, we saw one walking just off the side of the road as we were driving on Cherokee Orchard Road on the way to the trailhead.
The bears in Great Smoky Mountains are black bears and do not have a reputation for attacking hikers. Of course, always use precautions and keep your distance if you do spot one.
We did see a bunch of chipmunks and squirrels along this trail. The park is bursting with wildlife of all kinds.
Where to Stay to Hike Rainbow Falls
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is pretty big, and there are a lot of different areas you can stay in.
For the closest place to access Rainbow Falls, I recommend staying in Gatlinburg. It’s a pretty short drive from Gatlinburg to the Roaring Motor Nature Trail area, which will be helpful if you want to try and get here earlier in the morning.
SureStay
We stayed here as a family of 6 and LOVED how spacious our room was.
Plus, it’s as close as you can get to the park entrance on Newfound Gap, and just a block or two away from the main street in Gatlinburg, making it easy to walk everywhere.
Plus, free breakfast
Hiking Rainbow Falls in Great Smoky Mountains
Despite the trail being really steep and a bit challenging, I’m really glad we did it. It was 5+ miles of effort to see a great, tall waterfall in a truly peaceful setting.
Rainbow Falls trailhead isn’t too far from Gatlinburg, making it a great way to start your morning without a long drive. I highly recommend this hike if you’ve got young experienced hikers with you, though would suggest something different if the kids aren’t much for hiking.
Rainbow Falls in Great Smoky Mountains is a big deal, a big effort, and a big payoff!
Don’t Miss:
Kuwohi Observation Tower in Great Smoky Mountain National Park
