The Sinks isn’t a waterfall. It’s more like a rushing cascade crashing through a narrow passage in jagged rocks. And The Sinks didn’t even exist until the late 1800s. Today, it’s one of the most popular places in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Getting to The Sinks is easy, with a scenic drive along Little River Road between Gatlinburg and Townsend. There isn’t much to do other than enjoy the scenery and go fishing. But it’s one of the places everyone should visit in the national park.
This travel guide includes the fascinating history of The Sinks, map and directions on how to get there, and tips for making the most of the day trip visit.
Table of Contents
Map of The Sinks
How to use this map | Click the icon in the top-left corner to open the Map Legend, then click on any of the legend items to display more information. If you have a Google account, click the (very faint) star at the end of the map’s name to save this map to your account, then access the map from your smartphone during your trip.
Why Trust What I Write
\I’ve visited The Sinks five times since my first visit in 2016. I would usually visit whenever I was driving between my hotel in Gatlinburg and Cades Cove. But I went a few years without visiting The Sinks when I realized it was far better to visit Cades Cove from Townsend.
My last visit was a few years ago while I was researching road trips in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Little River Road is one of the most heavily traveled roads in the park.
And that’s why The Sinks are so popular.
You can trust what I write about The Sinks because I’ve been there several times, driving from both directions. I’ve spent time listening to the thundering cascades because chasing waterfalls is one of my favorite things to do when I travel.
How to Get There
There are three ways to get to The Sinks, depending on where you start. The Sinks are about 14 miles from Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, 12 miles from the Sugarlands Visitor Center, and 10 miles from Townsend.
From Gatlinburg, drive on U.S. Highway 441 toward the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Turn right onto Little River Road and continue for 12 miles to The Sinks. The two-lane road is very congested during the summer and holidays, with traffic at the visitor center and Laurel Falls. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to travel from Gatlinburg to The Sinks.
From Pigeon Forge, take Wears Valley Road toward Townsend. After passing through the small town of Wears Valley, turn left onto Wears Gap Road. This road ends at Little River Road, just a few minutes from The Sinks. It takes about 30 minutes to travel this route.
The best place to stay while visiting The Sinks is Townsend. It’s a short, 20-minute drive along Little River Road to the cascades. Sometimes, this drive can take about 10-20 minutes longer, depending on traffic to and from Cades Cove.
The parking lot has room for about half a dozen cars. However, there is no room for RVs or trailers.
Best Time to Visit
Unlike other waterfalls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there is no bad time to visit The Sinks. Because the cascades are fed by the Little River, there is almost always enough water volume to enjoy the experience.
But there are a few best times to visit.
April and May are always popular months for visiting waterfalls after spring rains. October is a great time to visit because of the spectacular fall colors. And January is an interesting time to visit for the chance of seeing a significant portion of the cascades frozen from the bitter winter windchill.
How The Sinks Were Created
In the late 1800s, logging was a vital industry in the Great Smoky Mountains. Before the first train was built through the mountains, felled trees were floated down the Little River to mills in Townsend. It was easy to float the naturally bouyant logs on the gentle river.
But a sudden deluge of rain led to a flood, turbulent waters, and an epic log jam in a natural horseshoe bend in the river.
The loggers could think of only one solution with hundreds of tons of logs jammed in the river’s bend. The packed the logs with dynamite and BOOM!
The explosion created a 30-foot deep chasm in the river’s bedrock. The blast inadvertently bridged the two ends of the horsebend bend and created a new route for the Little River. Today, the bridge crosses where the dynamite was placed.
Viewing The Sinks
The Sinks is one of the easiest attractions to see in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The parking lot is adjacent to a stone wall overlooking the cascade. You’ll hear the thundering water the moment you open the door.
A short path leads to another overlook above the cascade. It’s not accessible, but is fairly easy to walk.
Do Not Swim at The Sinks
Some guides mention a swimming hole near The Cascades that’s perfect for swimming. However, park rangers at the Sugarlands Visitor Center showed me statistics of the number of rescues performed at the cascades. He couldn’t stress it enough when he, “Do not swim at The Sinks.”
The water flows from Gatlinburg toward Townsend. The roughest part of the cascades begins near the bridge and continues about 500 feet downstream. This is where people typical get into the water.
But swimming is prohibited in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and for good reason.
Summer Road Trips
Read itineraries and how-to guides to get you ready for a summer of road trips.
Meigs Creek Trail
The 6.8-mile Meigs Creek Trail is a moderately challenging out-and-back day hike. The trail begins at the parking lot at The Sinks following the Little River until it reaches Meigs Creek. At that point, the trail follows the creek upstream to Buckhorn Gap where it ends at the Meigs Mountain Trail.
Meigs Creek Cascade is 1.7 miles from the trailhead. The tiny cascading waterfall is about 6 feet high. But this is not the same as Meigs Falls, the popular waterfall viewable from Little River Road further downstream.
