The last time that we hiked to Grotto Falls I carried an engagement ring in my pocket, and my fiance carried the ring back down the mountain on her ring finger. It was August 2018 and we were spending the weekend in Great Smoky Mountains National Park despite a three day forecast of rain. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time at America’s most visited national park.
This time we returned for just a quick stop on a three day drive from Philadelphia to Texas – three years after our original hike. Our plan was to hike up the mountain to Grotto Falls with our son and then continue on our way. The Smoky Mountains were only a short detour from the fastest route, and we were very excited about making the journey.
We spent the night at a hotel off I-81 near Morristown. It was very late when we arrived, because the toilet at our first hotel didn’t work and they said they didn’t have any other rooms. We didn’t get to sleep until around 1 AM, which made for a later morning start then we hoped and the need for a lot of coffee.
It took longer than we expected to make the journey to Gatlinburg, as we wove our way to Roaring Fork on back roads. But we arrived at the trail in mid-morning to find still available parking at the trailhead, and were excited to begin the hike.
The preparations for departure up the trail took longer than either of us wanted, as a new diaper was required and it took some time to get him settled in his carrier for the journey.
It’s funny how sometimes you remember a hike a bit different than the reality of it. We both remembered the hike to be pretty easy and quick, but this time it was much tougher. As we looked back on it, we thought two things to blame for the difference. Last time – we did the hike up to Clingmans Dome first, so by the time we got around to the Grotto Falls hike it seemed easy. But this time, after quarantine during the pandemic and with each of us carrying extra weight due to the baby, it seemed much more brutal than we remembered.
Grotto Falls is a 2.6 mile roundtrip hike to a 25 foot waterfall accessible from Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. It is the only waterfall in the park that you can walk behind, and with people looking to get outside during the summer while the pandemic persisted, it was a busy trail.
Our hike up the mountain in 2018 led us to an overflowing torrent of water due to the thunderstorms that were frequenting the area then. This time the weather had been more temperate and the rush over the waterfall was slower.
There was a line to get photographs behind the falls, and we waited our turn to have our neighbor in line take a few pictures of us. When we got to the other side, we reminisced about our prior visit to the falls and told our son the tale. He definitely won’t remember the journey, but we will forever remember his happiness at the waterfall and on the journey back down the hill. He was wearing a Happy Camper shirt, and his smile was commented on by many who were walking up the trail.
