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The
Insider's Guide To Wildflower
Viewing In The Smokies
By Nye Simmons
(from the March/April 2001 issue of BlueRidge
Country)
The
warm sun plays against the morning chill; that
sort of sweet-and-sour effect that occurs only
on a perfect spring morning. Take your time
enjoying the beautiful days and the scattered
groups of spring flowers along the
trails and drives of the Smokies.
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This
was our first hike to Porter’s Flat – all we
knew was “the wildflowers are good about a
mile up the trail.” With small children in
tow, we weren’t looking for a very challenging
excursion, just a chance to kill off the cabin
fever of a late and long winter. The kids were
getting whiney, and the flowers had been only
average; we were about ready to turn around to
go back to the car when BAM! Like Emeril
throwing around his Cajun essence – there it
was.
“Good” didn’t describe it – what an
understatement – carpets of white phacelia
stretched as far as we could see, around the
next bend, for all we could tell to the ends of
the earth. We had gone through the looking glass
at Porter’s Flat; Alice never had it so good.
Come with me to my favorite places in the
Smokies for the spring bloom, places I return to
year after year for the best flowers in the
park. In general, good displays start in
mid-April at the lower elevations (around 2,000
feet) and continue at various higher locations
to the end of the month. The past three years
have given us earlier-than-average blooms,
sometimes by almost two weeks, so there is some
year-to-year variability. The third and fourth
weeks are fairly reliable if you have to request
your time off in advance.
The 2001 Wildflower Pilgrimage will be April
26th-28th; a variety of activities and
naturalist-led walks are part of this excellent
yearly program. By the end of April often into
early May the highest elevations like Newfound
Gap will show their colors if you missed it down
lower. The bloom seems to proceed upward at
about 100-200 feet of altitude per day if there
aren’t any major frosts to slow things down.
The park backcountry desk at 865/436-1297 will
probably have the most current and reliable
information on what’s blooming and where. Many
splendid displays can be seen from the car, and
several short easy walks add to the
possibilities. The hike to Porter’s Flat is
the longest walk of the bunch, and the most
rewarding.
Porter’s
Flat
Though it’s not
listed by name on all maps, finding this special
place is easy. The road to the Greenbrier area
of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park turns
off of U.S. 321 about five miles east of
Gatlinburg. At 2.7 miles you will pass a small
picnic area with a pit toilet, 1/4-mile farther
brings you to an intersection with a left turn
crossing a bridge towards the Ramsay Cascades
trailhead. Proceed straight ahead past this
turnoff approximately 1/2 mile to the Porter’s
Creek trailhead, which has ample parking. The
easy hike follows an old roadbed a little over a
mile to the Porter’s Flat area; gradually the
roadbed gives way to a wide, well-maintained
trail. This is an easy hike, a bit more
difficult than mall walking, but not much. For
the first mile the flowers will be about average
and you will wonder what the hoopla is all
about. After you cross the third footbridge
however, you will be in wildflower heaven. The
peak bloom varies a bit depending on weather,
but mid-April in an average year will be quite
pretty; I am always surprised at how early
Porter’s Flat seems to peak for its elevation
– about 2,400 feet.
Bud
Ogle Place and
the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
Bud Ogle Place is a
great location for the beautiful crested dwarf
iris, which are plentiful within a few yards of
the picturesque cabin. A large handsome dogwood
grows nearby. There is an easy half-mile nature
trail here where you can find the relatively
uncommon showy orchids and possibly a few of the
rare yellow lady’s slippers. Trilliums,
violets and wakerobin are common here. After a
rain the ground may be littered with silverbell
blossoms.
Turn at light #8 in Gatlinburg and follow the
road uphill to Cherokee Orchard Road and on to
Bud Ogle Place, about three miles, The Roaring
Fork Motor Nature Trail lies just a mile
farther, just past the parking lot for Rainbow
Falls trailhead. The lights have numbers on them
so you don’t have to count; light #10 is the
first one you come to from Sugarlands Visitor
Center in the park.
Set your odometer to “0” at Bud Ogle parking
lot for this section; the motor nature trail
becomes one way at mile 1.0. The nature trail is
steep and narrow and not well suited to RVs or
trailers; the road loops and returns to Bud Ogle
if you decide against the nature trail that
empties you onto U.S. 321 on the east side of
town.
There are flowers all along the Roaring Fork
Motor Nature Trail; you will find excellent
displays of trillium grandiflora (the big white
ones with the slightly floppy leaves) near Eph
Bales Place at mile 4.1. You will have passed
the parking lot for Grotto Falls at mile 2.1, a
much easier hike than Rainbow Falls, although
neither is particularly great for wildflowers.
Wildflowers continue to grace the roadside until
you reach the Place of a Thousand Drips at mile
5.7, a delightful and photogenic roadside
cascade. Shortly after this you return to
Gatlinburg.
Chimneys
Picnic Area
If you are on a tight
timetable, this is your place. A little less
than five miles from Sugarlands Visitor Center
heading up toward Newfound Gap on U.S. 441
brings you to a very large day-use area with
picnic tables, several well maintained bath
houses (no showers) and one of the finest
wildflower displays anywhere, usually around the
third week in April. The white phacelia covers
the ground like snow; up close the blossoms are
even reminiscent of snowflakes with intricate
fringing around the edges. The sweet nectar
attracts bees in abundance so be careful when
you are getting a snoot full of the fine aromas.
Many other wildflowers grow here, too many to
list. Here are the finest colonies of yellow
trillium I have ever seen, often mixed with
violets and blue phlox (which seem more purple
to me). A short nature trail into the Cove
Hardwood forest will give you a chance to
stretch your legs, but the dense forest canopy
cuts down on the display in many areas, although
it’s still a very nice walk. You’ll notice
that the phacelia like their sunshine, and are
usually close to the road or in more open areas
of forest. The excellent beds of phacelia and
trillium continue up the road for another mile
or so in dense patches wherever sunlight is
adequate, and there are several pullouts giving
easy access. If you pull off on a grassy
shoulder be especially careful that your vehicle
doesn’t cut up the soft turf – these scars
take years to heal.
Little
River Road and
the Chestnut Top Trail
From Sugarlands
Visitor Center go west as though to Cades Cove.
The flowers become excellent as you approach the
Sinks, about 11 miles in. Metcalf Bottoms picnic
area (mile 9) has the last facilities until you
get to Townsend or Cades Cove. The rocky
outcrops along the road shelter large colonies
of columbine, and in more open areas are many
large colonies of purple phacelia. Unless you
are accustomed to purple snow, this won’t be
as visually confusing as the white at Chimneys
Picnic Area. The usual suspects are all to be
found here. Follow this road on to the Townsend
“Wye” (“Y”) where you will find the
Chestnut Top Trail. The displays along Little
River Road including the Chestnut Top Trail are
usually best around the third week in April as
well. About two miles from the Wye you will find
restaurants, gas and picnic supplies in
Townsend.
For the Chestnut Top Trail, park in the large
parking lot at the Wye and look across the road
at the opposite hillside. Along the road itself
are many gorgeous bouquets of all the flowers
you have grown accustomed to. The trail cuts a
switchback up this hillside and although
moderate in grade, you don’t have to go too
far. The best growths are probably in the first
half mile or so. Though I am partial to
Porter’s Flat, at least one authority
considers this the best wildflower trail in the
park. An added bonus is being able to get a feel
for the bloom before committing to the walk. If
the flowers near the trailhead are tired and
tattered this area is probably past its peak.
Then it’s probably time to head to the high
country.
The
High Country
So you missed it. Bad
timing – couldn’t get off work, family
emergencies, you know the drill. Well there is
hope for this season yet. The bloom generally
heads uphill at about 100-200 feet per day
depending on temperature. Fine displays of
phacelia and trillium can be found near the
Newfound Gap parking lot, just downhill from the
paved trail to the rest rooms, and along the
service road extending past the rest rooms. The
Appalachian Trail crosses the road here, and
it’s an easy place to set foot on the trail if
only for a short stroll. The first couple of
miles aren’t especially floral, but then
massive colonies of trout lilies crowd the trail
in several places beyond. It’s a great hike in
any event if you have the time.
If you find yourself heading toward Maggie
Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway, don’t miss
the Flat Creek Falls Trail. Look for the Balsam
Mountain Road, which is a spur off the Blue
Ridge Parkway. Look for the end of this Blue
Ridge Parkway spur and the beginning of Great
Smoky Mountains National Park. The Flat Creek
Trail is about 1.7 miles from here on the west
side of the road between Black Camp and Paul’s
(Polls) Gap. Here carpets of the now familiar
white phacelia grace the trailsides along with
all the other flowers you have come to expect.
The not so common red wakerobin is abundant
here.
Photo
Tips
Wind is the biggest
enemy. Wait for a lull in the breeze; an
umbrella can make a great temporary windscreen.
The more magnification you have in your image,
the more susceptible you are to blurring from
wind or your own camera shake. Definitely use a
tripod for best results. Direct sunlight is not
usually flattering; although there can be
dramatic exceptions to this. Soft light on an
overcast day, or shade, brings the contrast
range in line with what film can handle. Use a
cable release if you have one to avoid camera
shake from tripping the shutter, or use the
camera’s self-timer in a pinch. A light
sprinkle freshens the flowers, but a heavy
shower will beat down the blooms, and they may
take a day or two to recover.
And
Finally...
Have a great day in
the mountains enjoying the rare beauty protected
here for our pleasure. Please understand that
some of these flowers are rare or non-existent
outside the park. Poachers have dug up most of
the lady’s slippers, which have all but
vanished from the park. Many wildflowers
propagate by seed; if you pick them, not only
will others not enjoy them this season, but
there will be fewer for everyone next time.
There are licensed wildflower nurseries where
you can purchase wildflowers for home gardens
that will grow in your particular area; and keep
in mind that not all Smokies wildflowers will
survive out of their native environments.
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