Accessibility – Moderate
Height – 30? (hard to say since it falls into a cave)
Distance – 4.4 miles (out and back)
Beauty – 5
Photo rating – 4
Solitude – 4
GPS Info: LAT 35.63611 LONG -83.74477
Last Visited – 03/06/2026
Last Updated – 04/02/2026
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White Oak Sinks Falls is at least 30 feet tall, but that’s only the part you can see. It drops into a cave, so you can’t really see the bottom. It’s a very cool waterfall that had almost no water on it when I visited, although I did get hailed on while I was there, and I had to hike out in a monsoon, which didn’t help my viewing experience. I’m sure a better flow would have resulted in a better rating. The hike to it is all trail, which is nice.
Where to park: The trailhead is at the Schoolhouse Gap Trail on Laurel Creek Road. The large parking area is on the right if you’re heading toward Cades Cove. The GPS for the area is: 35.62711, -83.72665. You do need a Smokies parking pass.
The hike: The hike starts on the Schoolhouse Gap Trail, heading up a modest grade toward the junction with the Turkeypen Ridge Trail, which intersects at 1.1 miles from the trailhead. The Turkeypen Ridge Trail goes left, but the hike stays on the Schoolhouse Gap Trail for a few more feet. Just past the Turkeypen Ridge junction, an unnamed trail heads to the left. It’s obvious, but unsigned. Take this manway. The unofficial trail was in great condition and easy to follow. For the first half mile, it’s fairly level, but the final stretch to the falls has some grade as you head down. There is one more intersection after the trail levels out, and like the other one, it is unsigned. Make a right, and follow this until it ends at the falls.
It was too bad that I was there when the thunderstorm rolled in and not after it poured, since I have no doubt the falls would have been much more photogenic. It wasn’t a bad hike, and I like the trail, so I plan to visit again in better conditions. One embarrassingly bad picture, just as the skies opened up on me.
