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On the Trail in The Smokies
Mouse Creek Falls, beside Big Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina.
Big Creek is a ruggedly beautiful stream that drains the northeastern corner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park before exiting the park and flowing into the Pigeon River near the Tennessee state line.
And, yes, it really is big, though still referred to as a creek rather than a river. Big Creek also can be an especially enjoyable place to visit during the winter because of its low elevation and relative quiet, the latter a definite contrast to increasingly large summertime crowds.
Major logging operations began on the Big Creek watershed in the late 19th century and continued well into the 20th. Today, more than 85 years after the creation of the national park halted logging, the forest continues to recover nicely. The clear, rushing stream also produces many pleasant scenes as it courses between soaring Mount Sterling Ridge and the Smokies crest. Big Creek Trail, stretching just over six miles, is never far from the picturesque creek as it gently climbs from about 1,700 feet elevation to slightly more than 3,000.
Although I favor hiking upstream about 51⁄4 miles to the handsome Lower Walnut Bottom backcountry campsite, you can see a series of appealing natural features by walking just a couple of miles from the trailhead. Thus, a much shorter hike is an excellent option, especially if the weather is uncertain.
Converted from a logging rail line into a roadbed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, Big Creek Trail initially climbs well above Big Creek itself before soon dropping back down to near creek level. The walking is easy and pleasant, with only a few wet places. Looming to your left is Mount Sterling Ridge, attaining an elevation more than 4,000 feet higher than the lower section of Big Creek.
A mile or so from the start, amid a boulder field off trail to the right, is a geologic formation commonly called the Rock House, so named because of a basically flat 25-foot “ceiling.” About half a mile later, in the creek itself, you’ll see a popular summertime swimming spot known as Midnight Hole, an unusually large and deep pool just below a point where Big Creek squeezes between two large boulders. Another half-mile upstream, on the far side of the creek, is the lovely Mouse Creek Falls, which plummets about 50 feet in making a bold entry into Big Creek. When I hiked Big Creek Trail on a fine February day a few years ago, the water from Mouse Creek was rushing into Big Creek in torrents. During a dry year, however, the falls may offer not much more than a trickle.
In another 1⁄4 mile, reach the first crossing of Big Creek by way of a wide wooden bridge. The creek narrows and rushes under the bridge amid a jumble of rocks before collecting itself in a large, beautiful, relatively calm pool just downstream. Among the boulders in the creek is a big rock shaped almost perfectly like a pyramid with its pointed top. Soon, you reach an area of numerous downed trees, felled by a storm rather than logging, and a nice resting place between a hitching post and the stream.
After about 41⁄2 miles, you come to a concrete ford across Flint Rock Cove Creek. If recent rainfall hasn’t been unusually heavy, you likely will be able to rock-hop across the creek. Next, just before another bridge crossing of Big Creek, is a junction with Swallow Fork Trail, which steadily climbs four miles to Mount Sterling Ridge.
Even if you’re not backpacking (campsite reservations required, as always), a hike to Lower Walnut Bottom is always rewarding in good weather. The camp is situated just past the junction of Big Creek and Swallow Fork trails, in an uncommonly attractive setting near the beautifully cascading Chestnut Cove Creek. Little wonder it’s one of the most popular backcountry sites in the Smokies, in addition to being a fine day-hike destination especially during the colder months.
About the author: Ben Anderson is author of Smokies Chronicle: A Year of Hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (blairpub.com).
Go for a hike
- Trail: Big Creek
- Trailhead: Big Creek Entrance Road, just above Big Creek picnic ground
- Length (suggested): 10.4 miles round trip if you hike to backcountry campsite 37 (Lower Walnut Bottom)
- Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous because of the distance