The Little River runs clear and cold through the valley floor from its headwaters deep in the park, passing right through Townsend before joining the Tennessee River system. The stretch through town is popular for tubing in summer — rental operations along the main road provide tubes and drop-off points — and the river pools and shoals attract swimmers when temperatures rise. The water is genuinely clean by most standards and shockingly cold even in July, fed by mountain springs.
The Little River Road follows the river upstream into the park, past Laurel Falls (the most visited waterfall in the Smokies, a 1.3-mile round-trip hike) and eventually over the ridge into Gatlinburg. This is the most scenic driving route into the park from Townsend, and the road is lined with old-growth trees in the park section.
Fishing for wild rainbow and brook trout is legal in the park with a permit; the Little River is one of the better fishing streams in the Smokies.