Porters Creek Trail(edit)

Overview

The Porters Creek Trail begins at the parking area located at the end of Porters Creek Loop Road in the Greenbrier Section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trail begins at the gate of an old road which follows Porters Creek through an old growth forest. The first mile of the hike is an easy walk to Porters Flat. At about 0.6 miles, on the right, several stone walls mark old farm settlements from the early 1990s. After fording Long Branch on a small footbridge, a set of stone steps leads to the right up to the Ownby Cemetery.

At 1 mile, the old road will come to an end at a small loop. The Porters Creek trail continues to the left and will narrow to a hiking trail as it exits the south end of the loop.

Going to the right will lead to a short spur trail approximately 250 yards to the historic John Messer homestead which has a cantilevered barn and spring house. There is also an old cabin that was used by the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club. Just past the spur, the Brushy Mountain trail will take off to the west.

At 1.6 miles, the trail will cross Porters Creek on a long footbridge that has recently been rebuilt after it was destroyed by flooding. After the foot bridge, the trail begins a slight climb and traverses one of the best areas in the Smokies for viewing wildflowers in the spring. Fern Branch Falls will be adjacent to the trail on the left at about 2.0 miles. After the falls, the trail continues another 1.7 miles to Campsite #31.