There’s a hidden gem about 3.5 miles from the start of the Middle Prong Trail which starts at the end of the five-mile Tremont road in the Smoky Mountains. Oddly, the Middle Prong Trail follows Lynn Camp Prong, not the Middle Prong. So as I walked along this wide, easy trail, it was the sound of Lynn Camp Prong that kept me company.
The hidden gem is Indian Flats Falls, a series of four modest waterfalls, each about 10 to 15 feet high. I had never heard of these falls until I read about them in the Bearpaw, a small, seasonal newsletter of the Great Smoky Mountains Association. After reading the article, I studied my Smokies map and, sure enough, there it was, clearly marked with a waterfall icon. Indian Flats Falls is a bit out of the way and in a part of the park that I’m not very familiar with, so that might explain my ignorance. But as I thumbed through my Hiking Trails guide, I found another explanation – the description of the Middle Prong Trail didn’t even mention the falls. Could this be one of those spots that very, very few people know about, hearing about it mainly through word of mouth? Further investigation was clearly needed.
The hike up the trail was uneventful, which is a synonym for “peaceful,” so everything was proceeding as planned. I think the trails in the Smokies – the literal trail under your feet – are prettiest in the fall, just as the leaves have begun to cover them. The leaves form a red-yellow carpet that stretches far ahead of you and far behind. The trail glows as the leaves shine like the embers in a dying campfire. The fact that this trail is wider than most makes it especially pleasing to the eye. It’s a broad, bright, leafy turnpike. During this part of the hike, I realized that I should have made this an evening hike, with the return hike after sunset under the light of a bright moon. The trail, with its carpet of freshly-fallen leaves, would glow like new-fallen snow.
At about 3.5 miles you’ll cross a wide footbridge that spans Indian Flats Prong, a small tributary of Lynn Camp Prong. Without realizing it, for the last five minutes we’ve been hiking along Indian Flats Prong as Lynn Camp turned away from us, heading east while we walked south along Indian Flats. Five or ten minutes after this bridge you’ll encounter a sweeping U turn to the left. As you reach the “tip” of this big U, look down to your left, inside the U. I’d bet all the money in my wife’s savings account that this was the site of an old CCC or lumber camp or both. If you’ll take a few minutes to hop off the trail and explore this broad, flat area, you’ll find several old road beds. Something human happened here – either the lumbermen ravaging the area or the CCC restoring it, or both.
After you reach the end of the broad U turn, you’ll take a hard switchback to the right. At railroad switchbacks like this, the engine would alternately pull, then push, the train of lumber cars back and forth up these switchbacks, like a pendulum swinging back and forth, gradually working its way up or down the slope. As you reach the end of this first switchback, you’ll encounter another sharp switchback, this time to the left. Stop here and look around. (If you have a GPS, your location should be 35.593, 83.632.) Right in front of you you’ll see a natural rock “wall” about 5 to 10 feet high. Instead of following the Middle Prong Trail to the left, look for a lightly worn path leading to the right along the base of this wall. You may see that someone has scratched an arrow and the word “Falls” into the rock, about knee high.
This path is perfect. It’s worn just enough to lead you to Indian Flats Falls, but it is not heavily worn – a sign that this is not just a gem, but a hidden gem with very few visitors. In less than five minutes you’ll be at the falls. Mission (almost) accomplished. [To be continued.]
No comments:
Post a Comment