Chasing the bloom is the botanists version of birding expeditions. The predominant species are the Catawba and Rosebay. Bring a picnic! The mostly highly reported spot for beautiful Mountain Laurel blooms is Spence Field. Go Auto Touring on Historic Park Roads. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. You have got something that's living in there for food or for shelter," Wise said. Where can you see the rhododendrons the best: One thing to remember about rhododendrons is that each bush does not bloom every year. While every month of the year has both pros and cons, we have two favorite times to visit the park: spring and fall. Together they cover thousands of acres in the national park. Roundtrip the hike is about 3.5 miles. There are certain varieties of rhododendrons that begin to bloom in the late winter months, and some that tend to bloom once spring starts to approach. As long as you take care of these things, your plant is going to grow and reward you with beautiful blooms for several months! Wildflowers bloom from late February thru September. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement". Not every shrub will flower each year, but because there are so many in the park there will always be plenty of flowering Rosebays to enjoy. 107 Park Headquarters Road Blooming occurs in April and May at the low to mid elevations, and June to early July in the upper elevations. BLOOMING UPDATE: Dogwood trees are already coming into bloom in the Great Smoky Mountains. If you are in Gatlinburg, please stop in at my gallery . You will want to make sure that you provide a high-quality liquid fertilizer and add it after every few weeks to the plant. Rosebay's big clumps of whitish flowers appear in June at lower elevations and from July into August at middle altitudes. Log in. While wildflowers are visible roadside along Highway 441, and many of the other sideroads, the best place to see the numerous varieties of wildflowers and spring blooms are the on the hundreds of miles of hiking trails in the park. 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. Rhododendron maximum, also known as Big Laurel, forms dense thickets, some as high as 20 feet, that are critical to the health of Southern Appalachian forests and the wildlife that dwell there. Thank you for visiting! ", 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. This cookie is set by Google. There are so many amazing wildflowers to enjoy in the Smokies! Along with the azaleas, there are more than 20,000 hybrid species as well. They are usually found only at elevations at or above 3,500 ft. A true high mountain bloomer. It's a great ground cover, as it self-seeds prolifically, and it is also a perennial plant, returning year after year. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. It might take a year or two for you to figure out the exact times when the plant blooms. Add an answer. The blooms appear first at the lower park elevations in June, but can be seen at all elevations < 5,000 ft by July and August. The Appy Trail runs through it. Beard-Tongue 37738, Download the official NPS app before your next visit, You can see where to find many of these flowers on the, n fact, the park is sometimes referred to as the . These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos. Over 1600 species of flowering plants live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which is why it's sometimes called the "Wildflower National Park." With the spring season approaching, what could be better than a weekend getaway to see one of the world's most mesmerizing floral regions in all its full bloom splendor. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Flame azalea can also be seen on Balsam Mountain Road. Your email address will not be published. They are both 5 lobed. Its a gorgeous sight that you will thoroughly enjoy, and if you have various kinds of rhododendrons in your garden, the blooms are going to continue all the way up until the first few weeks of summer. Well for one, the park is home to some wild varieties that are not commonly found elsewhere. Rhododendrons in bloom on the Alum Cave Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Photo: Andrea Neal) Like most national parks, summer is the most popular time of year to visit Great Smoky Mountains. Trees and shrubs bloom throughout the year too. 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. Red oak is a fast grower, eventually reaching a height of 60 to 75 feet with a spread of 40 to 50 feet. The Rosebay rhododendron is the source for the whitish flashes of color that you find in the lower elevations of the park, up to about 5,000 feet. Very little," she said. The lovely pink and white flowers of mountain laurel bloom in early May through June. Back to Article Lists. It thrives around streams and in ravines at elevations below 5,000 feet (1,524 meters). 2016 William Britten Photography. Download GAIA GPS to see real-time data: www.gaiagps.com. The blooming rhododendrons are gorgeous to see, but you might also want to take a short hike to the observation deck at Roan High Bluff. Alternatively, you may use, Baymont by Wyndham Gatlinburg on the River, Holiday Inn Club Vacations Smoky Mountain Resort, an IHG Hotel, The Park Vista - a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel - Gatlinburg, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Water Park. There are many spots on the mile-high bald summits to spread your blanket amidst the flowers with spectacular mountain views. The mountain laurel start blooming in May. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Ladies Slipper), Allegheny MyrtleBeard TongueBlack SnakerootBrook LettuceButterfly WeedCatawbaCommon ElderField DaisyFlame Azalea (uplands)GalaxGoats RueHydrangeaMagnoliaMountain LaurelMountain OxalisMountain StewartisNew Jersey TeaRhododendronSpiderwortYellow Ragwort, BergamotBlack-eyed SusanCoreopsisDutchmans Pipe VineFlowering RaspberryHercules ClubIndian PipeJewel-weedMountain StewartiaOx-eye DaisyPartridge BerryPassion FlowerPhlox (summer)Purple-fringed OrchidQueen Annes LaceRhododendron (white)SourwoodStar GrassTrumpet CreeperWild Lilies, Bee Balm( Oswego Tea)Betony (smooth)Cardinal LobeliaClematisEvening PrimroseGoldenrodHercules CluJewel WeedJoe Pye WeedMeadow BeautyMonkshoodMountain MintsSt. The trail was strewn with delicate blossoms knocked off by recent rains. While several types of rhododendron exist, including azaleas, three are very often responsible for electrifying the views from Carolina trails. We use cookies on our website to help us make the website function properly, analyze what works and learn where it needs improvement. Most relevant Best selling Latest uploads. With towering trees, bustling waterways and rolling mountainsides, it is truly a shining example of nature's beauty. Rhododendrons. The Rosebay Rhododendrons are the most common rhododendrons in the Smokies. What time of the year do rhododendrons bloom in North Carolina? The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors. Mountain laurel blooms in early May through June, according to the park. We rarely miss a June visit. Wildflowers like rhododendrons are in bloom and in late May and early June, the Elkmont area sees an incredible natural display when the synchronous fireflies appear after dark. Any time between these dates there are spots of the variety in bloom. Needless to say, when you visit, you'll be getting the best Tennessee has to offer. The main drawback of visiting in autumn is the crowds. Gatlinburg These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. There are even certain varieties that will start to bloom as soon as the winter begins to fade away and the snow starts to melt. Rosebay rhododendron is in bloom at the lower elevations in June and at mid-elevations during July. If in doubt, call the Park Visitor Center for current conditions. During the spring, wildflowers explode during the brief window just prior to trees leafing out and shading the forest floor (from about mid-April thru mid-May). June 16-18, 2023 Two Rhododendron Festivals (North Carolina and Tennessee) are held in the Roan Mountain area ( see our Roan Mountain Guide) on the third weekend of June. Plus, springtime has the perfect weather to go for a hike and see the flowers up close!