Juney Whank Falls is a 90-foot cascade in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Enter the national park and follow a gravel one-lane road (Tom Branch Road) to the parking area. You will cross a small, narrow bridge over Deep Creek right before the road dead-ends at Deep Creek Road. The parking lot is located here and is right next to the trailhead.
Juney Whank Falls is one of three waterfalls in the Deep Creek area.
All the trails here are well marked and maintained. Signs list a trail name or waterfall and then a distance in miles. This is the distance to the trail, not the total trail length. No pets are allowed on any of the trails in Deep Creek.
Juney Whank Falls
This waterfall is supposedly named after Junaluska “Juney” Whank, who may be buried in the area. There are multiple ways to get to the falls.
One option is to head to the falls directly from the parking area. Follow the Juney Whank Loop Trail sign up a steep, quarter-mile hike until it connects with the Horse Trail. Turn right on the Horse Trail and continue climbing until you reach a sign and spur trail for the falls on your right. There will be a set of stone steps leading you down to the falls.
There are two other routes to the falls if you have been visiting the other two waterfalls in the area. From Indian Creek Falls, return to the Deep Creek Trail and turn right toward the Horse Trail. Then take a left on the Horse Trail and follow it until you hit the Juney Whank Loop Trail.
From Tom Branch Falls, return toward the parking area and turn right at the sign for the Juney Whank Loop Trail. This is a very steep incline up to the waterfall. There will be a sign for the falls on your left just as you reach the Horse Trail.
All paths lead to a footbridge over Juney Whank Branch in front of the waterfall. Juney Whank Falls cascades from above the bridge (upper section) until the Branch empties into Deep Creek (lower section).
While the upper section is the shorter of the two, it is still impressive. Be sure to take a moment to enjoy this waterfall tucked away from the main trails.
