The Deep Creek, Martins Gap and Indian Creek trails form a 12.6 mile loop through oak and hardwood forests deep in the Smoky Mountains backcountry. Visitors will enjoy miles of rushing streams and abundant wildlife throughout.

Tom Branch Falls

A snake strikes an American Toad just off the Deep Creek Trail

Indian Creek Falls is located just above the confluence of Indian Creek and Deep Creek

The experimental release of elk into Great Smoky Mountains National Park began in 2001 with the importation of 25 elk

Over 2,000 miles of stream lace through Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Mountain Laurel generally grows in dense thickets up to 5,000'

A side trail provides access to the bottom of Indian Creek Falls

The Deep Creek Trail frequently enveloped by azalea, laurel and rhododendron

One of several wood bridges on the Martins Gap Trail

Indian Creek Falls from the Indian Creek Trail

Campsite number 60 is one of several backcountry waterside options on the loop

The last elk in North Carolina was believed to have been killed in the late 1700s

Juney Whank Falls (not on the main loop trail) is also accessible from the Deep Creek Trailhead

The park's riparian areas are home to a variety of snakes, frogs and salamanders

Indian Creek rushes towards its eventual meeting with Deep Creek

The Deep Creek area is a known bear habitat and dense foliage makes it easy to surprise them

Mountain laurel is a dominant ecological feature of the Smokies - its green leaves contain the poison 'andromedatoxin' which could prove fatal to livestock and pack animals

The Deep Creek area was heavily logged prior to the formation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Deep Creek feeds the Oconaluftee River

A large portion of both the Deep Creek and Indian Creek Trails follow wide and easy walkways

Deep Creek features a high concentration of butterflies including the endangered Monarch (not shown here)

Campsite 59 - another backcountry option located near the end of the Deep Creek Trail

A deep pool sits beneath Indian Creek Falls

Campsite 58 offers campers a bench, riverside location and great privacy

Tom Branch Falls is an easy and handicap accessible destination