Accessibility – Moderate
Height – 20′-25′
Distance – 1.3 Miles (out and back)
Beauty – 2
Photo rating – 1
Solitude – 6
GPS Info: LAT 35.47125 LONG -83.87009
Last Updated – 12-23-2024
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Where to start: This hike begins at the Twenty-Mile Ranger Station, which is on NC28, hell and gone from just about everything. The entrance road to get to the ranger station is at 35.46709, -83.87903 on the outside of a sharp switchback. The actual trailhead is a tenth of a mile up the road. There is a lot of parking, and despite the out of the way location, this is a popular starting point for backpacking trips up to the AT.
Before you hop in the car and head on out, you will be expending a lot of gas and energy for a waterfall that’s not worth it. If you’re planning to hike up to the AT or Wolf Ridge to reach Gregory Bald, you could almost justify the stop. If you’re going to pay a visit, keep in mind this is the Smokies so you you will need to have a parking pass.
What you’ll see on this hike: A very nice cascade that Mother Nature has covered in dead hemlocks.
The hike: The hike starts by walking the road past the gate. If I can say one nice thing about this hike it’s that there isn’t a ton of elevation on this stretch. If you’re hiking up to the AT, it’s brutally steep at times, and ranks among my least favorite trails. Around 0.6 of a mile from the gate, the trail splits. The Twenty-Mile Trail makes a right, and the Wolf Ridge Trail goes straight. Make a right and maybe a hundred feet from the turn, there is a wooden sign that is barely legible it’s so weathered announcing the Twenty Mile Cascades. The sign and the cascade are about in the same condition. The trail winds around and eventually plops you out just below the cascade, requiring some rock hopping and wading to get to a point where you can clearly see the trees covering the waterfall. It’s a very pretty spot on a very pretty creek, except for the clutter.
