when do rhododendrons bloom in smoky mountains
License. Flame Azalea blooms can be found in many colors, mainly peach, yellow, orange and red. You can take an easy, scenic drive up to the balds through the state park or hike through Carvers Gap on the Appalachian trail in the same area to get the best views. Rhododendron blooms are bell-shaped. This cookie is set by Addthis. It could cause issues such as fungus gnats or worse, root rot, and you will notice the flowers drooping as well. As you drive across the mountains on Newfound Gap Road you will notice that the brilliant swatches of white and pink seem to be almost endless. It's FULL BLOOM everywhere, especially on the Rainbow Falls trail to LeConte. These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos. The blooms usually peak around the third week of June. Traveler tips, no extra charge: Craggy Gardens (mile 364, about 17 miles northeast of Asheville, North Carolina) is a great place to visit, especially in mid-June when the Catawba rhododendrons are at their peak. These plants have a considerably longer blooming period, as we have already discussed, and you should know that the plant expends a considerable amount of energy each day just to maintain the blooms. Afternoon highs at lower elevations can often be above 90-degrees in the summer and humidity can make it feel much more uncomfortable. Flame azalea can also be seen on Balsam Mountain Road. Two good walking trails for viewing wildflowers are the Deep Creek trails and the River Trail at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee. Located within even closer proximity to Asheville is Rattlesnake Lodge and the Craven Gap trail (which are located within a 5-minute drive of one another on the Parkway). The hillsides, valleys and peaks of the Smoky Mountains are covered with color in the late spring and early summer. The ephemerals exploit these conditionsthey flower, fruit, and their above-ground parts decay before summer gets into full swing. The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures. Ephemerals are so named because they appear above ground only in late winter and early spring, then flower, fruit, and die back within a short two month period. I was there during the first week of June last year, and while the lower elevations were not yet in bloom, there were some beautiful blooms in the area around Chimney Tops on Newfound Gap Road. The length of the blooming period also plays an important role, especially if you have several varieties of the rhododendron planted in your garden. Occasionally the majority of the shrubs will all bloom during the same year, this is called a super bloom or a big bloom. The Great Smoky Mountains are truly a sight to behold. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. The Rosebay Rhododendrons are the most common rhododendrons in the Smokies. Flowers appear in late March to mid-May, and they bloom for several months after that, from midsummer to fall. But when is the best season to visit? The bloom peak occurs within the dates indicated. Rhododendrons bloom in June and early July, and mountain laurel in May-June. While every month of the year has both pros and cons, we have two favorite times to visit the park: spring and fall. Rosebays big clumps of whitish flowers appear in June at the lower elevations and from July into August at the middle altitudes. In Cataloochee, you might hear the sounds of elk bugling or see bulls tussling during the annual elk mating ritual known as the rut. Harvest festivals abound in the nearby towns, and orchards around the park are awash in apples and pumpkins. ", RELATED: Pickers and pics hurt wildflowers in Smokies, 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, RELATED: Great Smoky Mountains temporarily limits group sizes for Whiteoak Sink, 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. At 3,500 ft the peak is about June 5th 15th, and above 5,000 ft the peak is about June 20th 30th. Catawba rhododendron, which lives primarily at elevations above 3,500 feet, peaks in June. Its white and pink flowers bloom from early May through June on trails and roadways throughout the park. Certainly there are several forms of Azalea that fall into the same category but that is for another discussion. At 6,627, the bluff is one of the highest peaks in the Appalachian Mountains. While flowers bloom year-round depending on elevation in different areas of the park, springtime offers the widest selection of trails to explore. Each spring, the park hosts the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage, a week-long festival of programs and guided walks and hikes that explore the wondrous diversity of life in the park. Rhododendrons. Because elevations range greatly in the park, from just 840 feet above sea level to Clingmans Dome, towering at 6,643 feet, weather can vary wildly, especially in the winter. Parking tags are required in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. "To protect and preserve, we really need to respect those trails and take into consideration what stepping off the trail is actually doing. The colors vary, and if you have several kinds of rhododendrons in your garden, it wont be long before the entire garden is covered in different hues. Blooms normally begin around Mid-April at lower elevations. People flock to the Smokies at these times to take in the color and to photograph these majestic plants. While lower park elevations often see winter daytime temperatures in the 50s, it can get much colder and snowier at higher elevations. The cookie is set by addthis.com to determine the usage of Addthis.com service. Flame azalea can also be seen on Balsam Mountain Road. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The trail was strewn with delicate blossoms knocked off by recent rains. Trusses of white and pale pink were everywhere, arching over the trail and framing vistas of waterfalls along the stream. Cataloochee houses a school, church, and frame homes from the late 1800s. They are both 5 lobed. Throughout most of the year, both types of rhododendrons are dark green with oily looking leaves. To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. All Rights Reserved. Parking tags may be purchased online, or on-site. Rhododendron Creek Trail. There are perks to visiting in the warmer months, but if you can avoid the crowds and heat of the summer months, wed suggest it. The rhododendron plant has more than a thousand species. The rhododendron thrives beautifully in climates that receive a higher amount of rainfall, and the plant does equally well during the moist summers. The deciduous varieties common in the Central Appalachian Mountains flourish in the higher elevations and cooler temperatures. Common in fields and along roadside. The Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs through the Appalachian Mountains from southwestern North Carolina up into Virginia, provides excellent vistas for flower-chasers. If you're wondering when the best time to visit the Smoky Mountains is so you can see the wildflowers, start planning your trip soon! Craggy Gardens. This blooming calendar gives the approximate emergence of the most popular species. This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. It's springtime in the Great Smoky Mountains, and wildflowers are blooming! In summer the display continues with brilliant red cardinal flowers, pink turtleheads, Turks cap lily, small purple-fringed orchids, bee-balm, butterfly-weed, black-eyed susans, jewel weed, and many others. The cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisments to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. In addition to certain standard Google cookies, reCAPTCHA sets a necessary cookie (_GRECAPTCHA) when executed for the purpose of providing its risk analysis. Your email address will not be published. This cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users. Get inspired with tips about where to go and what to see on your national park vacation, delivered right to your inbox. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. Two good walking trails for viewing wildflowers arethe Deep Creek trails and the River Trail at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee. Gatlinburg Closer to the ground on shrubs, the small, bight yellow blossoms of spicebush begin to bloom in February and are soon joined by sweetshrub, dog-hobble, and flame azalea. What makes it so magical is the sheer number of these plants spread over vast rolling mountains. 2009-01-06 21:22:54. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Despite these off years, many rosebays will bloom annually throughout the park, especially those along roadsides that receive ample direct sunlight. The mountain laurel start blooming in May. Rosebaby rhododendrons are also popular, and they tend to .