Ramsey Cascades Trail in the Greenbrier area of the Great Smokies
Elevation profile for my 8 mile out-and-back along Ramsey Cascades Trail (outbound direction shown - reverse for the return trip)
Newfound Gap Road - A WOW! sunrise on the way across the Smokies
Newfound Gap Road - Clouds hanging over the valley in the early morning hours
Newfound Gap Road - Clouds hanging over the valley
My first visit to the Greenbrier area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River flowing next to the trailhead parking area
The Ramsey Cascades trailhead - the first 1.5 miles are along an old jeep road
Ramsey Cascades Trail - I believe this is Little Laurel Branch
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Heading uphill along the old jeep road
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Big boulders on the early section of the trail
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Middle Prong
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Big boulders host tree growth
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Looking up at the Fraser Magnolias
Ramsey Cascades Trail - A thick forest canopy
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Unidentified mushroom
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Another big boulders beside the trail
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Virginia creeper crawls up a giant dead hemlock
Ramsey Cascades Trail - A small footbridge
Ramsey Cascades Trail - The old traffic circle
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Here is where you begin to walk beside Ramsey Prong
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Now the trail character changes dramatically, first to a dark rhodo tunnel and then to old growth forest
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Ramsey Prong
Ramsey Cascades Trail - A huge unidentified tree beside the trail
Ramsey Cascades Trail - A moss-covered windfall
Ramsey Cascades Trail
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Looking up a huge maple
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Ramsey Prong near the first crossing
Ramsey Cascades Trail - The first long footbridge across Ramsey Prong
Ramsey Cascades Trail - A deep green pool beside the footlog
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Somebody built this little cairn beside Ramsey Prong
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Two huge sentinel poplars
Ramsey Cascades Trail - The mossy trunk of one of the huge poplars
Ramsey Cascades Trail - This was an even bigger poplar just around the corner from the sentinel trees
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Nice rockwork further up the trail
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Approaching a crossing
Ramsey Cascades Trail - This is probably my favorite footlog to-date
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Ramsey Prong continues to tumble down from Mount Guyot
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Another massive tree
Ramsey Cascades Trail - A massive boulder hosting a fern colony
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Crossing Ramsey Prong just below the Cascades
Ramsey Cascades Trail - First look at Ramsey Cascades and a stern warning
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Several huge spiderwebs hang over the creek
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Ramsey Cascades
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Old Dan at Ramsey Cascades
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Ramsey Cascades from the lower falls
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Ramsey Cascades from the lower tier of falls
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Beech tree roots grow over a big rock beside the trail
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Mushrooms
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Another huge fern-covered boulder
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Hobblebush berries
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Another giant
Ramsey Cascades Trail - The only ridge view of the day, probably of Greenbrier Pinnacle
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Proof that Autumn is right around the corner
Ramsey Cascades Trail - A tiny mushroom sprout
Ramsey Cascades Trail - I'm not sure what these weird orange sprouts were
Ramsey Cascades Trail - A big mushroom at the traffic circle
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Tiny coral and ? mushroom
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Almost back to the trailhead now, this again is Middle Prong
Ramsey Cascades Trail - One last look at Middle Prong
Ramsey Cascades Trail - Now afternoon, the parking area is stuffed with day-hikers
