If you are headed to Cades Cove, at .2 miles from the Townsend “Y,” turn left onto Tremont Road and continue for a little over five miles on the main road (it turns to gravel) to a gate and parking circle. Your trail starts by crossing a high bridge over the Middle Prong River and into a flat area, the location of an old lumber camp. The trail is wide, and the Lynn Camp Prong follows the trail on the left. The trail rises higher over the river, and you’ll find wildflowers throughout the area.
Take time to notice chutes, falls, and pools in the river as you make your way up the trail. Near the end of the first mile, there is a bench where you can rest. There is a small waterfall in this area that is the remains of old splash dams, which were used by the loggers to help get logs down the mountain to the sawmill in Townsend. The trail levels out as it follows the creek, and another bench beside the road is provided for you to rest and take in more wildflowers.
Two miles in, there is a narrow trail to the right that leads to an old car frame, which speaks to the area’s use as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp during the Great Depression. As you continue on the trail, you’ll encounter the Panther Creek Trail, which goes off to the left as your trail narrows straight ahead. The Middle Prong CCC Camp was built in this area as crews constructed roads in the park between 1933 and 1937. As the climb continues, you’ll cross a bridge that traverses Indian Flats Prong before the trail starts to turn away from the creek – prepare for a steepening series of switchbacks. The trail ends where several trails intersect.