Rainbow Falls is the tallest single-drop waterfall in the Smokies — 80 feet off Mount LeConte down LeConte Creek, named for the rainbows its mist throws on sunny afternoons. The trail climbs 2.7 miles and roughly 1,500 feet from its Roaring Fork-area trailhead, and the films do not pretend it is a stroll: the newest review on this page is a candid two stars — 'worth it once' — rescued by the cave-adjacent bluffs near the top. We keep that review on purpose. This is the waterfall for hikers, not for the Laurel Falls crowd, and the page says so.

Watch: first looks

3 videos · summaries from the actual guides

Hike to Rainbow Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Visit Gatlinburg

Visit Gatlinburg's official 2023 Rainbow Falls film: the hike up the LeConte Creek trail to the 80-foot falls - the tallest single-drop waterfall in the Smokies - and why the mist catches rainbows on sunny afternoons. (No usable caption track exists for this film; it loads as watch content.)

Day Hike: Rainbow Falls Trail in the Smoky Mountains

Marked Miles

Marked Miles' 2020 hike to Rainbow Falls, the 80-foot single-drop giant on LeConte Creek - the falls trail walked end to end with the creek crossings and the amphitheater of rock at the base. (No usable caption track exists for this film; it loads as watch content.)

Rainbow Falls Hike, Great Smoky Mountains, TN | Appalachian Mountains, Ep. 8

Magellan and Greyhound

Magellan and Grey's 2020 Rainbow Falls episode: the climb from the Cherokee Orchard trailhead up LeConte Creek to the 80-foot falls, with the trail's rocky character and the mist-borne rainbows that give the falls their name, narrated the whole way.

Key takeaways
  • Rainbow Falls drops 80 feet in a single leap - the tallest single-drop falls in the Smokies
  • The trail climbs about 1,500 feet over 2.7 miles up LeConte Creek
  • Sunny afternoons put rainbows in the falls' mist - the name is literal

The climb

Creek crossings on log bridges, rocky tread, steady grade: the full spring hike films the route end to end in high water (the falls at maximum roar), the lesser-known angle film covers the upstream approaches most visitors miss, and a nostalgia film from the park's trail-crew era ties the falls to the LeConte trail system — Rainbow Falls Trail is also one of the five summit routes.

The falls in seasons

Ice-edged in winter, thundering in spring, a veiled drop in dry August: the season films show all three falls. The rainbow effect needs sun angle and mist — afternoon, post-rain, clear sky is the recipe the photographers repeat.

Watch: more views

3 videos · summaries from the actual guides

Hiking to Rainbow Falls | Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Terry Family Adventures

The Terry Family Adventures' 2026 spring Rainbow Falls hike: a full family walk up the rocky trail to the 80-foot falls at high water, with honest notes on the difficulty, the footbridges and the crowds - a current-season record of the trail as it hikes today.

Key takeaways
  • The Rainbow Falls Trail is rocky and rooty - a real hike, not a stroll
  • Spring flow gives the falls their fullest voice
  • The trail continues past the falls all the way to LeConte's summit

Rainbow Falls Trail Review | Worth the Hike in Great Smoky Mountains?

Parking Nationally

Parking Nationally's unusually candid 2026 review of the Rainbow Falls hike - a 2-star verdict on crowds, parking and trail conditions on the way to a waterfall they still call worth seeing once. An honest-expectations companion to the page's celebratory films.

Key takeaways
  • A 2-star review with a 'worth it once' verdict - expectations content
  • Trailhead parking fills early on the Cherokee Orchard loop
  • The falls themselves impress even the reviewer

Rainbow Falls Trail: A Mid-March Icy Wonderland, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Smokies Life

Smokies Life's 2025 winter film of Rainbow Falls and LeConte Creek in ice - the 80-foot falls locked in a frozen shell with icicles along the trail, the falls at their most otherworldly. (No usable caption track exists for this film; it loads as watch content.)

Who should skip it

Anyone whose knees object to 1,500 feet of rocky descent, anyone on a tight clock, and anyone who'd rather see three falls than earn one — the directory's Sugarlands and Roaring Fork pages hold the gentler water. Everyone else: this is the connoisseur's fall.

Sources: the 9 videos on this page, filmed at Rainbow Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Watch: the full set

3 videos · summaries from the actual guides

Rainbow Falls Trail Hike

Smokies Life

Smokies Life's 2013 winter Rainbow Falls hike - an older park-association record of the falls trail in snow and ice, companion to their 2025 ice film and a look at the trail a decade ago.

Key takeaways
  • Winter transforms the falls trail into an ice walk - traction matters
  • A 2013 record of the trail before its modern popularity
  • The falls' ice formations are the winter draw

Rainbow Falls Trail - Great Smoky Mountains National Park Dayhike

Bryce Newbold

Bryce Newbold's 2019 day hike to Rainbow Falls - a quiet, well-shot walk up LeConte Creek to the falls with the trail's log bridges and rocky treadway as they were pre-2020s.

Key takeaways
  • The trail crosses LeConte Creek on log footbridges
  • Weekday hikes dodge the worst of the falls crowds
  • The amphitheater at the base is the photo spot

My First Solo Hike in the Smoky Mountains: Rainbow Falls and Grotto Falls

NatashaVentures

NatashaVentures' 2025 solo hike combining both Roaring Fork waterfalls: Rainbow Falls first, then Grotto Falls (whose own page sits in the Roaring Fork set) - one continuous film of the two falls trails back to back, with solo-hiking commentary throughout its 37 minutes.

Key takeaways
  • Rainbow Falls and Grotto Falls pair into one big Roaring Fork hiking day
  • Grotto Falls is the waterfall you can walk behind
  • Solo-hiking narration runs through all 37 minutes

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