The Sinks – Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Browsing through the waterfall guide I purchased for $1.00, I found three roadside waterfalls. Meigs Falls, Place of a Thousand Drips, and The Sinks. We had missed stopping at The Sinks last year when we went even though it’s on the same road to Cades Cove, and not too far a walk from the parking lot sitting above it.

A sign walking from the parking lot to where you can view The Sinks warns of drownings that have occurred here. They also share photos of them recovering a past drowning victim. We actually didn’t see this sign till we were leaving, and had already watched several people kayaking the waters. I was unaware that drowning was the leading cause of death in the parks, and not surprisingly the park does discourage water recreation, especially since these areas are not heavily supervised with help.

My favorite moment of our entire trip in Tennessee was most likely the time we spent watching two guys kayaking over The Sinks. We sat on a rock that had a great view, and it was away from other people. I tried to get a shot as they were riding over The Sinks, but failed to focus on time. I got this shot as they were heading away from The Sinks and down the river though. We watched these guys for a while trying to ride over it. One guy had a paddle break, and he was only using one. Someone had to run out to get him another paddle to use. This did raise my interest in kayaking and rafting one day, but in areas safer to do it at.

We took photos in front of The Sinks on one of the multiple places you can see it from. We loved this area so much we returned here again later in the week before we left. Not far from this spot someone was proposing to his girlfriend. A lot of stuff happens in this one area, so you never know what you’ll see outside of the beautiful falls.

If you’re wanting to test yourself out a bit more though, there are several trails you can begin here on the Meigs Creek Trail. 

If you’re exploring the Great Smoky Mountains I highly recommend a trip to The Sinks. It’s a short walk from the parking lot, and located near Meigs Falls. It’s also on route to many other sights as well. If you’re driving from the Sugarlands Visitor Center you will drive past Laurel Falls and toward Cades Cove. The parking area for The Sinks will be on your left before a bridge, and a short way before Meigs Falls. I don’t remember seeing markers for The Sinks, but the parking area is hard to miss since it’s popular. This is no entrance fee to The Sinks.