Grapeyard Ridge to Engine Creek Loop
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
December 7 - 8, 2025

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Blog:

The Grapeyard Ridge and Engine Creek Loop was a great hike on basically two “unofficial” Smoky Mountain trails mixed with a little Application history to boot. This is a great hike if you have never gone backpacking before as it is low mileage split up over two days, and there is nothing too strenuous about the trail. The Engine Creek campsite is also one of my favorites so far in the Smoky Mountains.

- Smoky Mountains Area Trail Map -

This trail system is located in the Greenbrier Ranger district of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and was once home to several Appalachian communities and is ripe with history. First inhabited by the Cherokee Native Americans then around 1800 the first permanent white settlers moved in. There are many grave sites and cemeteries located all around this area. (1)

I parked at the Greenbrier Ranger Station and hiked 0.8-mile down Greenbrier Road until you come to the Rhododendron Creek Trail. There will not be any sign, and you will not see it on the park's trail map as it is an unofficial trail. It will be easy to follow as there is a worn path, and it follows the Rhododendron Creek the whole way.

My Route:

Greenbrier Road	......	0.8 miles
Rhododendron Creek Trail	......	1.1 miles
Grapeyard Ridge Trail	......	2.4 miles
Engine Creek Trail	......	2.4 miles
AllTrails Links: Route \| Profile

Rhododendron Creek Trail is only about a mile long with a gentle uphill grade for most of it, but you will want to take your time on this one. There are many cascades and waterfalls to view as the trail winds its way along the creek. I am pretty sure the majority of my hiking time was spent on this section of the trail trying to take in all of the waterfalls. There will be one substantial uphill section just before you reach Grapeyard Ridge, and it is at this spot the creek forks.

- Along Rhododendron Creek -

Grapeyard Ridge will follow the northernmost fork of the creek, and the trail will continue to climb. There is Rayfield Cemetery along this trail, and I wanted to go check it out, but it is on top of a substantial hill and looked overgrown. I plan to go back and try and find it as I feel pretty confident that bushwacking will be envoled. The trail continues to climb as you pass through a little Rhododendron tunnle just before you get to the top.

From here you will start to descend and will swing around a bend where the “engine” of Engine Creek lays. Part of the logging history associated with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a Nichols & Shepard steam engine that was used to power a sawmill. This particular steam engine was on a tractor frame and fell off the trail and was left in the creek. I have looked up the manufacturer and model, and while I have not found the exact one, below is a link to old Nichols & Shepard catalogs.

· http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=2548&tab=3

And here is a link to another blog that I thought was interesting regarding the engine...

· https://npplan.com/parks-by-state/north-carolina-national-parks/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-park-at-a-glance/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-greenbrier-region/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-nichols-and-shepard-steam-engine-wreck/

- The Steam Engine Behind Me -

From the little bit of cursory research that I have done Engine creek used to be called Injun Creek. With Injun not being referred to as Indian but the way in which “engine” was being pronounced in the area (2). So, the creek is named for this Steam Engine that fell into it with the name officially being changed in 2020 (3). This is a nice little piece of Smoky Mountain history.

From the steam engine it is just under a half mile to trail that will take you to Campsite No. 32 Engine Creek. This is also the start of The Engine Creek Trail that is another unofficial trail in the Smoky Mountains. I do really enjoy this campsite as there is grass and the two times staying there it has always been a nice, soft lay. Both times I have slept well here. There was another group who posted up for the night as well.

It was a cold night, but fortunately there was no wind, and we were able to get a nice little fire started. I was warm and cozy in my sleeping system and did not have any problems during the night. The next morning, I got another little fire going, had a good breakfast, packed up, and was on my way.

Going from the campsite down Engine Creek towards the ranger station is a downhill hike and very easy-going. After 0.7 miles from the campsite, you will hit a side trail that will take you to the E. E. McCarter Cemetery. A lot of the names and dates have worn of the headstones there, but from what I can gather a lot of children are buried there.

- E. E. McCarter Cemetery -

I could not find much of anything regarding E. E. McCarter and the only McCarter that seems to pop up on the Internet is a Jacob Tyson McCarter. Tyson, as he was known, lived in the area from 1870-1950 and had a farm where a few of the outbuildings still stand. Those outbuildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places (1).

After the brief stop there is was back on the Engine Creek Trail for a bit, until I got off trail to look for the John Ownby “Cemetery”. After I made it there I did see there is a “trail” further up Engine Creek where you don’t need to bushwack as much. From what I can John Ownby is the only one buried here.

John Ownby moved to the Greenbrier area around 1818, and he was a veteran of the War of 1812. He settled downstream from the Whaley’s, and those two families became the predominant people of the Greenbrier area (1).

Great hiked mixed with history, and I cannot wait to get back to this area. As always, my friends, hike on and stay safe out there!

Footnotes:

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenbrier_(Great_Smoky_Mountains)

(2) https://hikinginthesmokys.com/grapeyard-ridge-trail/
(3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_Creek

Pictures: