Cane Creek Twin Falls

While on the way to Cades Cove we decided to check out the nearby waterfalls and the Wye on our way.  Our first stop was Cane Creek Twin Falls. The Cane Creek Twin Falls are located across Little River about two and a half miles east of the Townsend Wye, just inside the Townsend entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

This small set of waterfalls isn’t the easiest to locate, so I’d recommend you enter it into your GPS to find it since it isn’t easy to see from the road. The waterfalls are below road level, but you can see them from the parking area. There is a small parallel parking area located on the side closest to the river on Little River Gorge Road right at the waterfalls. There is no pull off parking for eastbound travelers. So eastbound travelers should continue to head east until they come to a parking area where it is safe to make a u-turn.

The Twin Falls aren’t readily visible through the leaves most of the year. However, what these falls lack in water volume, they make up for in being a great swimming hole. Since there is only enough parking for 2-3 cars, it doesn’t get too busy (unlike the Townsend Wye, which is located just down the road). You can view Cane Creek Twin Falls from the parking pull off.

If you want the best chance to see the waterfall itself, I’d recommend visiting during the winter or early spring months before all the leaves come in to ensure the best view and water flow. It is also pretty in the fall when the leaves have changed.

There is a rocky path from the pull off that goes down to the water’s edge in front of the waterfall. There were already two families there when we arrived, so we viewed the falls from the parking area and continued on our way as this was our first stop of many. Please note that this is a wet weather set of waterfalls and we took our photos during the winter after a good rain so most of the time there won’t be as much water flow as is shown in our photos.

If you are planning on staying at the falls for an extended period of time, please note that parking passes are required to park in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for longer than 15 minutes. There’s a parking pass machine at the end of the parking area of the Wye (just down the road).

Please note that there are no restroom facilities at the waterfalls or at the nearby Wye so plan accordingly.

While in the area, in addition to Cades Cove, we also checked out two other roadside waterfalls besides this waterfall that are located on the same road – Whiteoak Flats Branch Falls and Meadow Branch Cascades. While none of these are really worth a special trip I do recommend checking them out since they are really close. These waterfalls are best viewed in the winter and spring months or right after a good rain.