Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

The drive

Plan to take it slow. The road winds through thick forest beside the stream, with pull-offs where you can park and stretch your legs, and the National Park Service says you’ll catch glimpses of old-growth forest along the way. The NPS also counts Roaring Fork among the best places in the park to see its preserved log buildings. Watch for the Jim Bales Cabin and the Reagan tub mill, a tiny mill once used to grind corn into cornmeal that sits so close to the road you nearly drive through it. A self-guiding auto tour booklet for the drive is available at park visitor centers.

Near the end, keep an eye on the rock wall beside the road for the Place of a Thousand Drips. It’s a waterfall that spills right next to the pavement, and it looks best in wet weather. The drive comes out back in Gatlinburg. The NPS Roaring Fork page has more.

Stops before the one-way section

Cherokee Orchard Road leads you to the start of the drive. On the way, you can stop at the Noah “Bud” Ogle Self-Guiding Nature Trail, a short walk around an old mountain farmstead and the hardwood forest around it. Just past the farmstead is the Rainbow Falls trailhead. That hike is 5.4 miles round trip with a steep climb, and the NPS rates it moderately strenuous, so wear sturdy shoes and carry plenty of water and snacks. The motor nature trail begins on the right just past the second Rainbow Falls parking area.

Grotto Falls

About two miles into the drive you’ll reach the Trillium Gap trailhead, which leads to Grotto Falls. Parking at that trailhead is very limited, so have a backup plan in mind. If you’d rather stay in the car, the Place of a Thousand Drips near the end of the road is an easy waterfall to see from your seat.

Season and vehicle limits

Roaring Fork closes for part of the year. For 2026, the NPS lists the road as open April 17 through November 29. The road is very steep, and motorhomes, buses, vans longer than 25 feet and cars pulling trailers aren’t allowed on it. Check the NPS seasonal road schedule and the current conditions page before you head out, since park roads can close for weather and other reasons.

Cost and parking

There’s no fee to drive Roaring Fork, and the NPS says entrance to the park is free. You do need a parking tag to park anywhere in the park for more than 15 minutes, and that includes the pull-offs and trailheads along this road. Tags are $5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year. Fees can change, so check the NPS fees page for the latest. You can’t buy a tag in the Roaring Fork area, so buy one online and print it, or pick one up at a spot like Sugarlands Visitor Center before you go. The tag has to be displayed in your car, and digital copies aren’t accepted. Tags aren’t required on the park’s free entrance days, and the two left during the 2026 season are October 27 and November 11.

Parking along the drive often fills up, and a tag doesn’t guarantee you a spot. The NPS asks drivers to stay out of marked no-parking areas and to pull all four wheels off the road when they stop.

Getting there

From the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg, turn at traffic light #8 onto Historic Nature Trail Road and follow it into the park at the Cherokee Orchard entrance. Stay on the road past the Ogle farmstead and the Rainbow Falls trailhead, and the one-way motor nature trail starts on the right.

If Roaring Fork is closed or full

The NPS suggests other scenic drives, including Lakeview Drive and three sections of the Foothills Parkway. Closer to town, the Gatlinburg Trail is an easy river walk from Sugarlands Visitor Center. Browse more Gatlinburg attractions for ideas.

Photo at top: Roaring Fork beside the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (October 2023) by Sarah Stierch, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).