I had been eyeing this route for a couple weeks after planning a family vacation to the Smokies. Thursday was a good day for it because my family were at a downhill mtb park/hanging around town. Plus the weather was great. I definitely put off the run well into the day because I couldn't decide if I wanted to give the route a good send or just try to complete it. This was my first run over 5k' in elevation so I was a little anxious to see how the legs would do. I carried three soft flasks, about 120g in assorted carbs, my smashed up old phone in a ziplock bag, and a bag of loose electrolyte powder because I only brought a big bag of electrolyte mix on the trip. My belt was a little overloaded but she handled 'er well.
I found a spot that had $2 per hour parking. Much cheaper than the other spots. I guess that helped in deciding on how fast I needed to get back, they only took cash and I only had a $10 bill on me. I started down on River Road in downtown Gatlinburg. The first intersection wasn't too busy, only a few mullets spotted at this point. Pretty surprised at how much climbing was in the first three miles or so on the road before hitting the Rainbow Falls trailhead. Getting onto the trail I was hit with a sign that said that one of the trails I would eventually connect to right before the summit, was closed, so I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to complete the full segment. The lower half of the trail was awesome. The water wasn't rushing so the waterfalls weren't going crazy but still very pretty. There weren't any crowds but plenty of people out on the trail enjoying the weather/views. Always love getting encouragement from the random uncles and aunties out there on the trail. After passing by Rainbow Falls the trail wen't pretty silent. Passed a few folks hiking down the mountain, but definitely felt like I was in some spooky bear country. I eventually got to that connecting trail and it seemed to be pretty open which was nice. That took me up to the Cliff Tops trail where I summited about 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
After summiting and taking some photos I refilled my flasks at the spigots around Leconte Lodge. Pretty soon into the descent I could feel some cramps set in. I took a little time to stretch and say a few prayers I make it down the mountain. I continued on and didn't see much in terms of people until hitting Rainbow Falls again. The section of trail from the falls to the parking lot isn't horrible per se, but very technical and rocky/rooty/loggy(?) with some stairs mixed in. I rolled the absolute h#ck out of my ankle but by the graces of our good Lord, it was fine. From the parking lot down you can really cook. At some point on the road about a mile from the finish I had to stop and stretch. I finally got back onto River Road and back to the bridge where I started with about 3 minutes or so to spare. Awesome route overall. A fast downhill runner would crush this route! Great time, I definitely want to run it again!