Ramsey Cascades (8.0 miles; d=12.38)
Read MoreRamsey Cascades Hike Route Map
My hike to Ramsey Cascades as depicted a la Google Earth...
Ramsey Cascades Hike Route Map
The approximate track of my hike to Ramsey Cascades, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,080'
The WIDE open start to the trail...despite the length and moderate difficulty it looked as if this was still quite a popular hike...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,090'
Almost immediately the trail makes a hard left to cross over the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River...
Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River - 2,090'
In true Smokies style, the riverbed was choked with countless boulders creating a very dynamic waterway...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,150'
The first section of the hike climbs only gradually, allowing for plenty of time to warm up before things get a bit more serious...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,300'
A brief burst of sunlight was nice to see but only added thickness to the air of an already muggy day...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,400'
Climbing high above the river, the crashing stream could be clearly heard but it was rarely seen...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,560'
Perhaps a mile in now, a short bridge offered a dry crossing of a narrow, rocky tributary called Ramsey Branch...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,600'
After the first mile has passed the trail once again finds itself right along the edge of the river, though still high above it...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,640'
The old, wide roadbed which the trail had followed up to this point ended at this sign which announced I had made it 1.5 miles from the car at this point...
Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River - 2,640'
Taking the opportunity for a quick break I scrambled the short distance down to the river. Despite the relatively dry summer thus far I was pleased to see how much water was still flowing here. A good sign as this is the stream that, another 2.5 miles away, creates Ramsey Cascades...
Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River - 2,640'
A live action look at the Little Pigeon from my break spot a mile-and-a-half in...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,650'
Beyond the trail marker pictured previously the trail actually becomes a trail...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,700'
The rhododendron thickets here were teeming with little warblers, though none saw fit to get close enough or stay still long enough for a picture...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,720'
As my elevation ever so gradually increased the surrounding rhodo blossoms began to look a bit healthier than what they did earlier on...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,850'
A break in the trees offers a brief glimpse of a small, unnamed cascade...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,940'
Plant life, large and small, covers just about every available space in these woodlands...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,980'
Just beyond the 2-mile mark I reached the trail's most infamous feature, this high and narrow log bridge over the river. Mid-span you're 20 or more feet above the water so those with a fear of heights are likely to be a bit uncomfortable here...
Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River - 2,980'
Looking upstream from the high log bridge crossing...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 2,980'
Though I shot it later, on my way back, this vid should give you an idea of what the high crossing is like here...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 3,000'
Once across the bridge the trail once again follows the river quite closely for a short ways...
Ramsey Cascades Trail - 3,100'
These twin titans announced my arrival into a magnificent cove of old-growth forest. These monsters are tuliptrees but there are also massive examples of black cherry, oak, and red maple along this stretch...