Whiteoak Sink

The area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park known as Whiteoak Sinks is interesting from a geological standpoint. It is a "fenster" or geologic window looking down into younger rock. The limestone forms here are younger than the metcalf phyllite found higher above this area along Scott Mountain Trail. The metcalf phyllite is an older, softer, more easily eroding and fracturing rock. The limestone forms in Whiteoak Sinks give way to cliffs, monadnocks, and sinkholes. The sweet, rich soil and low lying elevation of this area makes it a paradise for wildflowers! There are at least four caves here. There are four or five limestone sinks.
The waters of Short Creek drop into one cave and disappear into the ground emerging again as Silver Falls which you can see by visiting Tuckaleechee Caverns!