Sprucing Up Spruce Flats Falls

Written by Elizabeth Davis, Tremont Land Manager

If you’ve tried to hike the falls trail in the past month, you’ve probably been greeted by yellow caution tape and a disappointing sign, “Spruce Flats Falls CLOSED due to repairs.” If you trespassed beyond these barriers, however, you would have borne witness to some impressive feats of strength, tenacity, and ingenuity. 

For the duration of the closure, American Conservation Experience (ACE) crew members, in conjunction with Terra Strata LLC and C2 Recreation, hauled 80+ pound locust logs, swung pick-mattocks, ran generators and swung sledgehammers, cut log joinery with chainsaws to build steps, rolled, pushed, and hauled rocks, and patiently crushed rocks into gravel to fill in steps.

From these photos, it is evident that trail work is physically demanding. Sweat and sore muscles built these steps and dug new tread; it’s hard work. The work requires skill gained through experience – the jigsaw puzzle of fitting rocks perfectly to one another, precision chainsaw work to cut tight joints between logs, plenty of problem solving, and thoughtful sculpting of dirt to drain water effectively from the trail. What should also be evident from these photos is the joy and good attitude brought to this arduous work. Two crews of ACE members, each for two weeks, worked with energy and enthusiasm, slept in the tents, swam in the river (and showered in the shower room, don’t worry!), ate in the dining hall, and worked through fickle May weather: rain, muggy Smokies humidity, and several beautiful, robins-egg blue days. 

There is more work to be done, but for now, the trail is reopened to the public. There are several more months’ worth of work to fully rehabilitate this well-loved trail; we’ve applied for several grants and hope to continue this project next winter. 

This work was funded by Athletic Brewing and Blackberry Farm Foundation. We’re so grateful for this funding and for the work done by ACE, Terra Strata, and C2 Recreation to make the trail safer for the many hikers who love Spruce Flats Falls! 

Photos by Marcos Perez.