About The Sinks
Most park overlooks give you a view. The Sinks gives you noise. At about 12 miles from Sugarlands Visitor Center on Little River Road, the Little River funnels into a rock-lined gorge, drops over a ledge and churns into a deep green pool before running on downstream.
What happens at the water
From the overlook, a short walk from the lot, you look down on a concentrated wall of moving water. The drop is not tall, perhaps fifteen feet, but the volume is large and the sound carries across the lot. The pool below is deep and dark, and the current swirls in the basin. After rain the whole scene turns white and loud; in a dry fall the water slows and clears and you can see the shape of the ledge.
Safety first
Do not enter the water here. The Park Service warns that the pool and the current have claimed lives, and slick rock at the edge makes falls easy. The fences and signs are there for a reason. Keep children close and stay behind the railing.
Visiting
- Where: Little River Road, about 12 miles from Sugarlands Visitor Center and about 6 from the Townsend Wye. The lot is on the river side.
- Time to allow: 15 to 20 minutes.
- Parking: the lot is small and fills by midmorning on October weekends; a parking tag is required for stops over 15 minutes.
- Facilities: none. Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area, a few miles east, has restrooms.
- Road status: open year-round, weather permitting.
Pair it with
The Meigs Creek trailhead starts across the way, and the roadside view of Meigs Falls is about a mile west. Little River Gorge Overlook is a few miles east. If you only have time for one stop on Little River Road, this is the one with a real show. Laurel Falls Trail, farther east, is closed through 2026 and expected to reopen sometime in 2027.
Good to know
- Do I need a parking tag?
- A Park It Forward parking tag ($5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year) is required for any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Entry is free, and federal passes such as America the Beautiful do not replace the tag.