Marks Creek Manway to the Falls
Monday Feb. 27, 2007
Tom Dunigan and Dana Koogler
Bushwhack/ manway 7 miles RT approx.
**Remember Girlie to Change this once the new TN landforms is up**
(it will be time for an audit)
Today I had the privilege to meet and hike with Tom Dunigan. He led me on a hike or rather a bushwhack up the Marks Creek Manway to the main falls. We left my house at 8 a.m and I drove us to Tremont. We parked at the turn around and headed up the start of the manway. There is a very rudimentary fisherman's path here, but no official trail. We turned and headed up the steep bank to the left. We had about six hundred feet of elevation gain to begin with. My short legs had a hard time keeping up with Tom, but he was very patient with me. We kept pace as long as it was on level ground, but uphill is something I am not good at. There was not as much rhodo to put up with, but lots of greenbrier and rose bushes and thorny plants on the sides of this ridge. I wore the scratches the next day to prove it.
Somewhere in this area we came to a flat benched out area and someone's Winter jacket was hung on a tree scarecrow style. It was eerie running upon it in the middle of nowhere. Looking back I can't help wondering if it didn't belong to one of the two guys we encountered a short while later?
We peaked out on a lead which is a ridge coming down from the main summit. We had about 100 yards more to the true summit. We finally arrived at the top and I was delighted to see I remembered this spot. I am always tickled when my recall is better than I expect. There was a decent partial view from here of Fodderstack Mountain across from us. We continued across the top of Meigs mountain on a manway that went from invisible in places to looking like a main road! We did a little wandering around at first, but corrected course and soon came out at the gap we needed to find. We sat down for rest, water and a snack break. Tom is an interesting person to talk to. He has done a lot of exploring and had some fascinating stories to share.
We turned right and went down steeply into Marks Creek watershed. We could hear the creek below in the distance. We passed a headwater spring I never thought I'd see again yet there it was! We passed this spot on a bushwhack of 11 miles with the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club. We had a group of forty.. count 'em... forty people! We bushwhacked to Bear Pen Gap and out the Blanket Mountain manway, down the Marks Creek manway, and back out to Tremont.
It was very pretty, fun and hard! I met a lot of interesting people that day. By the time we got to the spring that day we were glad to see it since the route we took is a dry ridge. It felt good to have been here before and know which way to go. We continued down the drainage steeply until we arrived at a flat area above Marks Creek. We emerged on a dirt bluff about twenty five feet high. Tom was just ahead of me and said "Look! Two humans!" Sure enough there were two men hiking past us below on the Marks Creek manway. Oddly, they saw us through the brush right away and looked up. It is getting to the point you can't hardly go anywhere in the park without encountering someone. We slid down the bluff and started out behind them. They were marking their way by typing an old mylar balloon to a sapling. I asked where they were going out of curiosity? The older man was clearly the leader replied "Clingman's Dome I think" and laughed. I think they were dismayed at having run into other hikers out in the back country. I detected a note of sarcasm. They let us pass them and we soon arrived at a spot where a massive poplar tree had crashed down atop a hog trap. The hog trap was mashed flat. I noticed the door was made of a bridge clearance sign that read " 9'x 2". We laughed about it. Somewhere I believed the hogs were laughing too.
Below: the rootball of the huge poplar tree where it pulled out of the ground
The manway continued upstream with Marks Creek on our right. It was easy to follow since at this point it appears to be an old railroad grade or road. Someone told me there was an old hotel back in here at one point so it may have been a real road for cars. We followed it upstream until we got to the falls. We had no problem spotting them. There are lots of massive old trees in this part of the forest. The day was sunny, warm with temperatures in the sixties, blue skies with puffy clouds. Perfect hiking weather. We found a way to the base of the falls with no trouble.
Marks Creek Falls is a twenty foot double ledge type cascade. It is creek wide and covered in deep green moss. There was enough water coming over it today to make it appealing, but we were a bit low on rainfall for this time of year. We enjoyed the sound of the water and the beauty of this spot. The falls gets little visitation and this is part of what has spared them from being denuded of moss. The creeks flow varies in intensity and doesn't scour it off either. It was a challenge to get a photo of it due to no good place to stand back and view it. Rhodo limbs in the way and we were facing directly into the sun. Tom had a mini pod which he encouraged me to try. It straps onto limbs or branches! I had a mini pod along, but it was free standing. I will have to get one of those from REI. We had some laughs here after taking pictures and pushing limbs out of the way.
We headed back and decided to try the Wet Feet Route on our return. We passed another powerful sluice/slide type cascade on the way out. It sits on Marks Creek also, but it is impossible to get a photo of due to being choked with rhodo and no place to stand. A shame since it is impressive. We pressed on toward the end of the manway which follows along with Marks Creek now on your left. We were faced with crossing Lynn Camp Prong which can be a powerful stream and quite deep in places. The manway ends at the perfect spot to ford. You have to first ford Marks Creek and a short space later ford Lynn Camp Prong. We left our boots on and held hands and plowed on through. It was shallow enough and had enough rocks to hold onto we need not worry about getting swept down stream. Todays low water volume had us only wet up to our knees. Not bad! We finished the last mile of our hike on the Middle Prong trail back the car. It was a welcome relief after the earlier bushwhack. We casually cruised that last mile to the jeep.
We passed the usual cascades on Lynn Camp prong. We only saw one other man all day and that was on the actual trail. It was a beautiful hike with a new friend. We plan to go hiking again before long.
It is worth mentioning that Marks Creek Falls is hard to visit as experienced off trail hikers in the Smokies know. It is hard to catch the river at a low enough flow to make it safe to ford yet with enough water volume on Marks Creek to make it worth visiting the falls. My photos can illustrate this. I have done both. The wet feet route and dry feet route. 
Above: Marks Creek Manway. Can you see the path?
Above: Tom Dunigan -- this photo was taken on the Deep Creek Hike
Above: a sam on Lynn Camp Prong. You ford right above this to do the Wet Feet Route to the falls on Marks Creek.
Below: Marks Creek Falls on the trip with Tom. It was glorious!
Below: Higher up on Lynn Camp Prong in Snow Water season.. early Spring/ Late Winter high water volume and deep, fast flowing
Above: Lynn Camp Prong Cascade
It is also worth mentioning that in later years since making this hike last I learned that there is a very old, very rough manway across Stone Camp Branch that leaves the Lynn Camp Prong drainage, goes up and over the intervening ridge and comes out right at Marks Creek Falls. I have seen it, but not bushwhacked it. David Lee and a friend did hike it and according to him it was very, very rough and not really worth doing. If David thinks it is rough it would be worse for me!
Below is a photo of Marks Creek Manway once you make the wet feet crossing easy to spot!
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