129 SmokyMountainNavigator.com National Park homesteads that can be visited on the trail, displaying the life that settlers lived many years ago. With all there is to see on the Motor Nature Trail, it is suggested that you take your time and enjoy the majestic beauty before you. You can get more information on Roaring Fork from the Sugarlands Visitors Center. Be careful and enjoy your trip through time. Beginning and ending within miles of downtown Gatlinburg, the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a one-way drive that takes visitors along a 5.5 mile experience through the National Park. The path begins its intimate journey through the wilderness at Historic Nature Trail, just off the main Parkway in Gatlinburg. This motor trail takes visitors back in time, weaving a story of the people who once lived here, while showing off the immaculate Eastern Hemlocks. Below these evergreens thrives an underscore of rhododendrons, azaleas and mountain laurels. An abundance of birds and wildlife greet you, as the river remains a constant companion along your trip. Along the trek, visitors can find numerous activities that will draw you from your car. Hiking trails can take you on foot into another time. Grotto Falls, one of three waterfall trails, sends hikers to one of the Park’s most dramatic waterfalls and can take you all the way to Brushy Mountain and Mount LeConte. There are also three