We wanted to make the most of our last day in the Smokies, but we also wanted to enjoy a couple of hours relaxing at the campground. So, we opted for a moderate hike that one of the NPS rangers had recommended and planned to make it a half-and-half day.
We don’t have to drive far into the park to put our plans into play.
The trail in question is maintained by the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, which is located just off a spur on Laurel Creek Road as one heads in the direction of Cades Cove. Tremont is a “non-profit residential environmental education center that provides in-depth experiences through education programs that celebrate ecological and cultural diversity, foster stewardship, and nurture appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” There was a sign on their board for a wildflower photography class that I would love to have attended, unfortunately I was a week too early :-(
When we arrived at the office/bookstore we almost turned back, because there was a big pile of backpacks near the trailhead. Instead of going off half-cocked, however, we asked what was going on and learned that a group of teenagers were leaving after a week-long in-residence program. As it turns out, we had the trail to ourselves except for one speed-hiker who was on a mission to get to the falls first. When we got there we could understand why he was in such a hurry, but I’m glad we took our time as I’d venture to say that we enjoyed the trail more than he did.
The in-out trail is a mile each way.
stop at the institute for specific directions so you don’t take the wrong trail.
This is not a trail where two people can walk side by side; in a lot of places, it’s little more than a narrow goat-path. Not that it was a problem — I made so many stops to photograph tiny wildflowers along the way that Mui and I weren’t keeping pace anyway. Part of the way, we walked between hedges of mountain laurel in bloom on either side of the trail. Simply gorgeous; and the only place on this trip where we saw the blooms.
A few spots on the trail were muddy, but for the most part the dirt path was dry. Tree roots and rocks required us to pay attention to where we stepped as we hiked up one side of Mill Ridge and then made our way down to the Spruce Flats Falls at the other end. Of course, what went down had to come back up on the return, but it wasn’t a particularly strenuous climb.
OK, I’ll shut up and just let the pictures tell the story of our hike. First some scenes from the trail …
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… then some of the flowers on the trail. (I identified some of them, but if I have the IDs wrong, do chime in with a comment.)
Mountain Laurel is a plant in the blueberry family. Who knew!
This flowering plant is also known as spoonwood. The name comes the fact that
native Americans used to make their spoons out of it.
Clockwise from top left: yellow trillium; Perfoliate Bellwort; yellow trillium;
and Golden Ragwort.
Top right: Star chickweed; Bottom left: Bettleweed; the rest — pending id.
There were some bugs and crawlies along the way, too. Thankfully, we didn’t see any snakes; it was cooler at this elevation, so maybe that’s why. (I have requests for IDs out; but again, if you know what these critters are, please pipe up.)
Clockwise from top left: caterpillar; beetle — the ID request came back with the following comment: “Somebody in the genus Phyllophaga, but species determinations are tough without male genitalia dissection”; millipede; diurnal firefly — Lucidota Atra.
Of course, the star attraction was Spruce Flats Falls, which consists of a main waterfall and a couple of cataracts, each splashing down into a plunge pool at the base. The main falls are of a type referred to as a fan and are 30 feet (9 m) high. A true gem; all the more so because we had the place pretty much to ourselves. Yeah, the speed-hiker/photographer was there, but he was too busy to pay any attention to us.
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You can see why the upper-tier waterfall is designated as a fan.
After taking a break at the falls to enjoy our snacks, we headed back the way we came. Our goal was to check out a set of cascades somewhere on the Middle Prong Trail. We got directions from the staff at the Institute’s bookstore and drove the three-mile gravel road to the trailhead. We even got on the wide trail and walked about half a mile. But we soon tired of tip-toeing around the rather fresh and odoriferous piles of horse poop. So, we went to plan B — lunch break perched on the boulders overlooking Middle Prong/Little River, followed by a slow drive along the riverbed with frequent stops for photo ops.
We perched on these rocks to have lunch and play.
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Photo ops along Middle Prong/Little River.
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Dog violet — I think — and spider (left); and red clover, a perennial weed.
And my favorite photo from our scenic drive …
Yes, I admit I have thing for silky water. And I’m delighted the Smokies afforded me so
many opportunities to practice shooting water in motion.
It was a little after 3:00p when we returned to the campground. It was much too nice an afternoon to be doing packing-up chores, so we put them off, grabbed our laptops, and made ourselves comfortable in our comfy chairs where we’ve been setting them up by the railing behind the coach. A quiet afternoon, with Mui taking a little time out to check important things like the Phaeton’s tire pressure and fluid levels. A great way to round out our much too short stay in the Smokies. We’ll be back — perhaps not to this same area and campground, but we’ll be back. There’s so much to explore in this great park, and we haven’t even scratched the surface.
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