Popular Great Smoky Mountains waterfall trail defaced, park says. Rangers seek clues

Vandals used cans of spray paint to deface ancient rock walls leading to Laurel Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to the National Park Service.

The 1.3-mile Laurel Falls Trail, which sees as many as 375,000 visitors annually, was hit in multiple spots, photos shows.

“On July 24, 2023, U.S. Park Rangers investigated a vandalism report and found a large section of rocks along the Laurel Falls Trail where someone spray-painted words and symbols,” the park said in an Aug. 3 news release.

A plan to remove the graffiti is underway, along with an investigation to identify the culprits. Punishment could include fines and up to six months in prison.

“Graffiti is ... extremely difficult to remove. Repairing vandalized sites is costly and time-consuming, and often cannot restore the site to its former condition,” the park noted.

The highlight of the trail is 80-foot-tall Laurel Falls, which has upper and lower sections “divided by a walkway crossing the stream,” the park says. The waterfall is just over 7 miles southwest of Gatlinburg, on the Tennessee side of the national park.

News of the vandalism prompted outrage on social media, including alternative forms of punishment.

“I hope the ones that did this are found, and instead of them being locked up, make them clean it up,” one commenter wrote on the park’s Facebook page.

“Check social media. They probably took selfies with it,” another posted.

This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Popular Great Smoky Mountains waterfall trail defaced, park says. Rangers seek clues."