TENNESSEE – GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NAT’L PARK – Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail

Notes: This paved loop trail has a well-deserved reputation as a wildflower hotspot during the second half of April. White-fringed phacelia, several species of trillium, phlox, and violets bloom in profusion here. Since this area is in a small cove, some worthwhile photography opportunities are available even on a bright sunny day, if you get here early and work quickly. I’ve also found a diffuser disk to be helpful when working with close-up shots. To get there – From the Sugarlands Visitor Center just south of Gatlinburg, drive approximately 5 miles to the Chimneys Picnic Area on the right. Soon after you enter, there will be a parking area for angled parking on the right. The trail starts uphill from the right side of the parking area. The 0.8 loop trail is paved and is rated as moderate because it goes up and down the hillside. But in mid-April and for a couple of weeks thereafter, you won’t have to walk very far to see an abundance of blooms. There are restrooms in the nearby picnic area.

Yellow trillium (Trillium luteum) - Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

White trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) - Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee


&spspspspspsp; Fringed Phacelia - Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee&spspspspspspsp;Yellow Trillium - Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee


&spspspsp;Large-flowered Trillium - Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee&spspspspsp;Large-flowered Trillium - Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

&spspspspspsp; Erect Trillium - Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, Chimneys Picnic Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee&spspspspspspspspspsp;Large-flowered Trillium - Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, Chimneys Picnic Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee


&spspspsp;Large-flowered Trillium - Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, Chimneys Picnic Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee&spspspspsp;Erect Trillium - Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, Chimneys Picnic Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee