SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — It's springtime in the Great Smoky Mountains, and wildflowers are blooming!
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known around the world for its wildflowers with over 1,500 kinds of flowering plants, more than any other North American national park, according to its website.
Some of its most famous species are mountain laurel, rhododendron and flame azaleas.
Flame azaleas bloom at the low and mid-elevations in April and May. Mountain laurel blooms in early May through June, according to the park. Catawba rhododendron, which lives primarily at elevations above 3,500 feet, peaks in June. Rosebay rhododendron blooms at the lower elevations in June and at mid-elevations in July.
"We have such a variety of ecosystems, from our lower elevations to our higher elevations that contributes to the number of this vast number of wildflowers that we get to experience and enjoy here in the Smokies," said Rhonda Wise, a lead resource education park ranger.
While flowers bloom year-round depending on elevation in different areas of the park, springtime offers the widest selection of trails to explore.
"Wildflowers don't particularly stick to the map, and, you know, some years, you can have great things in surprising places, even just along any of our overlooks as well," Wise said. "You think you're stopping for these great mountain views and these mountain vistas, if you just stop to take in the great view, but if you look down at your feet, too, sometimes you'll find some amazing little gems right at your feet."
Spring
Appalachian Trail: access at Newfound Gap or Clingmans Dome; 2-mile section between Newfound Gap and Road Prong Trail has good flowers from mid-April through May
Cades Cove: one of the most popular destinations in the park; on the Blount County side; several trails connect here
Chesnut Top: strenuous difficulty; 8.5 miles roundtrip; in the Townsend area; several species bloom throughout the spring
Chimneys Picnic Area: off Newfound Gap Road; closes at 8 p.m. April 30 - Aug 31 and at sunset on other dates
Cosby Nature Trail: easy difficulty; roughly 1.1-mile loop; near Cosby in Cocke County, Tennessee; March and April are peak months for wildflowers
Cove Hardwood Self-Guided Nature Trail: easy difficulty; less than 1-mile loop; begins are Chimneys Picnic Area on Newfound Gap Road; offers some of the best spring wildflower viewing in the park
Huskey Gap Trail: moderate difficulty; 10 miles roundtrip; near Gatlinburg; best wildflower viewing times between April and May
Kephart Prong Trail: moderate difficulty; 4.2 miles roundtrip; North Carolina side of the park
Little River Trail: easy difficulty; near Elkmont; first 2 miles of the Little River Trail provide good wildflower viewing from mid-March through April
Middle Prong Trail: moderate difficulty; 8.3 miles round trip; near Tremont on the Blount County side of the park; leads to Indian Flat Falls; first 2 miles you may see foamflower, toothwort, violets, wood sorrel and trilliums
Mingus Mill: near Oconaluftee Visitor Center; near Cherokee, North Carolina
Oconaluftee River Trail: easy difficulty; 3 miles roundtrip; near Cherokee, North Carolina; peak time to see wildflowers in April
Porters Creek Trail: moderate difficulty; 4 miles roundtrip; on the Sevier County side in the Greenbrier area; flowers peak in late March through April in the first 1.5 miles of the trail
Whiteoak Sinks: easy difficulty; 4.6 miles roundtrip; near Townsend
Summer
Andrews Bald: moderate difficulty; 3.5 miles roundtrip; near Clingmans Dome; Catawba rhododendron and flame azalea peak in early July
Gregory Bald: strenuous difficulty; 11.3 miles roundtrip; access in Cades Cove; one of the most popular and stunning wildflower displays typically in the summer around mid-June
Hiking Tips
On the trail, Wise said it is important to leave everything the way you found it.
- Stay on the trails.
"To protect and preserve, we really need to respect those trails and take into consideration what stepping off the trail is actually doing. Not only are you damaging and destroying, possibly killing the wildflowers that you're trying to capture, but you have to look at that as habitat. You've got critters. You have got something that's living in there for food or for shelter," Wise said.
- Don't pick the flowers.
"Last year, we had over 14 million people. If every person picked one wildflower, how many wildflowers would we have for the future generations? Very little," she said. "Take only pictures. Leave it there for somebody else to enjoy."
- Always have a plan to communicate that isn't your cell phone. Service can be spotty in the park.
- Bring a flashlight or headlamp.
- Pack water and snacks.
- Wear comfortable shoes and layers.
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