The Sinks, cataloged in surveys as "Sinks, The", is a 6-foot cascade on the Little River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sevier County, Tennessee, right beside Little River Road. Wikipedia calls it the most visited waterfall in the park because it is easy to reach, and people have drowned here.
The falls
The Little River squeezes through a rocky bend in a short, rushing cascade. Lidar measurements put the drop at about 6 feet, while earlier records listed 12 feet and a 2011 incident report gave 15. The drop is small, but the force of the water has carved crevices at the base where the pool runs chest-deep.
Getting there
The Sinks is on Little River Road about 12 miles west of Sugarlands Visitor Center, or about 8 miles east of the Townsend Wye. Look for a bridge with red swift-water warning signs and a small parking area beside the road. It is a drive-up stop where the parking area gives access to the designated viewing area.
The park charges no entrance fee, but any vehicle parked for more than 15 minutes needs a parking tag: $5 daily, $15 weekly or $40 annual. America the Beautiful passes do not cover it, and a tag does not guarantee a space in the small lot.
When to go
No particular season or time of day is documented as best for the Sinks. The 2011 drowning happened during an unusually warm summer, when more people were in the water.
On site
Visitors must watch from the designated viewing area, where park warnings note that visitors have drowned. On July 30, 2011, a 17-year-old wading in knee-deep water above the falls lost her footing, went over and was pinned underwater in a crevice at the base; bystanders formed a human chain but could not reach her. Warning signs about strong currents and hidden hazards remain posted. Swimming and cliff jumping have resulted in repeated deaths and injuries, and rangers recovered a kayaker's body here on December 17, 2022. Visitors are urged to stay out of the water above the falls and avoid jumping into the pool.
History and name
The Sinks is not natural in its current form. Loggers historically used dynamite to clear a logjam, and the blast cut a new bend in the river, creating the falls.
Nearby
Meigs Falls is about 0.7 mile away, Cane Creek Twin Falls about 1.7 miles and Spruce Flats Falls about 2.7 miles. Gatlinburg is about 9 miles to the east.
Distances are straight-line.