Jackie Steffan — 5.5 Miles — 3 Hours — Moderate — 619 ft. Elevation Gain —
Elk River Falls (formally known as Big Falls) is located 15 minutes from Roan Mountain, TN. We drove past the sign for the waterfall many times, saying to ourselves “we should check that out sometime in conjunction with another nearby hike.” We knew the falls was very close to the parking area, but after a bit more research, it turns out you can easily pair this up with two other nearby waterfalls on the Appalachian Trail to make it an even better adventure. So whether you choose to take the quick detour to only see Elk River Falls, or you choose to do the full 5.5 mile hike we describe, both will be rewarding.
Getting There
From I-26
- Take exit 24 and drive towards Elizabethton
- After 4.7 miles, turn right onto W G St.
- At the end of W G St, take a right onto Gap Creek Rd
- Continue on Gap Creek until it intersects with US-19 E
- Turn right onto US-19E and travel approximately 16 miles
- Turn left onto Old Mill Road and travel 0.3 miles
- Turn left onto Elk River Road. Parking area will be a large turnaround found in 4.1 miles, which is at the dead-end due to a closed gate. The last little bit of the road is unpaved, but in good condition.
The Hike
From the end of the parking area, near the trail sign (not the large gated road), you quickly reach Elk River Falls in approximately 5 minutes. The trail is slightly steep, with some stairs to get down to the viewpoint at the bottom of the falls. This waterfall is 50′ tall and has really large flows year-round. It is impressive to view. This is a popular destination for locals and tourists in the warmer months for swimming/wading in the pools below the base of the waterfall, which are safely away from the powerful falling water and under-currents.
If you’d like to continue the hike to the other two waterfalls, the easiest way is to retrace your steps to the parking area. There is an alternative social trail that continues onward from the waterfall (away from the parking area), but we don’t recommend it. When you reach the parking area, turn right to locate the gated forest service road to begin the hike. Follow the wide road, which turns into a narrower trail (very skinny at times) as you go. Take in the wonderful, peaceful views of the Elk River and the small rapids. You will always stay on the left bank of the Elk River.
Close to the end of this section (roughly 1 mile), you’ll have to take a right at a campsite, head down a bank and across a small stream, Jones Branch, which can be slippery at times. Fortunately it is pretty easy to carefully rock hop without getting your feet wet. The trail then quickly heads steeply uphill before reaching the intersection with the Appalachian Trail (AT). Once you reach the AT, you have a choice to make; see two options below.
Left Option: Jones Falls
To hike to Jones Falls, you’ll take a sharp left onto the AT. Travel about 0.6 miles and find a small spur trail (signed and blue blaze) to reach Jones Falls, which should be just before a set of stairs. You’ll shortly reach the base of the 100′ slender falls. There is a steep trail along the right side of the falls that you can take to reach the upper section. If terrain allows (not too muddy or slick), it’s definitely worth the trip up since you can’t fully appreciate the top section from the bottom. The upper section has a large boulder that the cascade falls on top of, directly in front of you at the top of the trail. Once you’re ready to move on, simply retrace your steps back to the AT, then retracing back to the junction of the Elk River Road/Trail. Either continue onto Splash Dam (below), or retrace your steps back to the trailhead parking area.
Right Option: Splash Dam Falls
At the junction, turn right onto the AT. Travel about 0.9 mile, continuing to parallel the Elk River. Along the way, you’ll pass a unique little gate marking the border of TN and NC. Splash Dam Falls is approximately 35′. You cannot really reach the bottom of the falls, but instead have to view it from the side or scramble around on rocks to get the photo we did. Just be careful as the rocks might be slippery. When ready, simply retrace you steps back to the junction with the Elk River Road/Trail. Either continue onto Jones Falls (above), or retrace your steps back to the trailhead parking area.
