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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Rich Mountain Road - Wildflowers With a Killer View

On our last day in the Smokies I was a hot mess.  Still so much I wanted to see and do and only a couple of hours to do it before dark once the visitors all left.  What to pick?  Ramsey Cascades was high on my list, but such a long hike.  The Little River Trail in Elkmont was also a possibility, but at the same elevation and general area as some of my other hikes.  I had really wanted to do Schoolhouse Gap for the wildflowers, but it was such a long drive from Gatlinburg.

Rich Mountain Road

To get to Rich Mountain Road you have to start on the Cades Cove Loop Road.  I stopped and got out to admire what I think was a patch of Virginia Bluebells and got to see a busy bee in action as well.


Eventually I came to the sign for the turn-off to the road on the right.  The road is well graveled and traffic is one way only.  As it kept winding up the mountainside I looked for wildflowers but wasn't having much luck.  I also kept my eye peeled for the view I knew had to emerge at some point.

View of Cade Cove from Rich Mountain Road

Beautiful, right?  The road would be a stunning drive in fall.  Eventually my eyes did catch sight of a handful of Catesby's Trillium.  After that the Wild Strawberry was plentiful.  There will be some good eating along this road later in the season!



As I neared the top I saw the trailhead for Rich Mountain Loop and got out of the car to check it out.  I only walked up a quarter of a mile and then turned back because I wanted to head over to the Schoolhouse Gap Trail before dark and time was flying by.


After reading the hike description I see I missed out on some spectacular wildflower displays by not hiking this trail.  Something for next time, right?

Forget-Me-Not?


This flower above appeared in a patch along the road but I couldn't find it in my copy of "Wildflowers of the Smokies".  Anyone know what it is?

View on the way down

The wildflowers really started showing up as I started descending the mountain.  I saw a lot of Wild Geranium and Trillium and a few that I hadn't yet seen too.

False Rue Anemone?
Large Flowered Bellwort

Carolina Vetch

One thing to look out for when the road ends is a lack of signage.  My GPS wasn't working and there were no signs pointing me back toward town or the park.  I took a lucky couple of turns and ended up in Townsend much to my relief.  I had just enough time to head to the Schoolhouse Gap trail before dark and take a quick look around.  Pics to follow!
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2 comments:

  1. Billy Blue EyesMay 7, 2014 at 11:58 AM

    You know I would not know one wildflower from another. Pretty little blooms though

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  2. SharonMay 7, 2014 at 4:15 PM

    You've discovered one of our best-kept secrets! Hardly anyone drives this road. We drove it last Friday afternoon because I had heard that there was mama bear and three cubs hanging out along the side. Sure enough, we came around a curve not to far from the start of the road and there they were. We watched them for about half an hour romping and playing. After awhile, even mama seemed to forget we were there or at least realized we were no threat. There was never another car came up behind us. One of those very special Smokey Mountains memories. You may have noticed the Ace Gap trailhead on the left at the park boundary. We'll have to do it next year. One of the best Pink Lady's Slippers trail in the park and also LOTS of Flame Azalea. Plus, by normal standards, it's a very easy trail to hike!!

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