TENNESSEE – GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NAT’L PARK – Porters Creek Trail

Notes: Porters Creek is one of my favorite spring wildflower locations. Just after mid-April is an ideal time to be walking on this old road bed. Along the first mile of this gentle uphill grade, I found enough opportunities with wild geranium, trillium, violets, and dwarf crested iris to occupy several hours. A macro lens – or other close-up equipment – will come in handy here. If you are in this area on a sunny day, a diffusion disc will also be helpful. To get there – The trailhead is located at the end of the road in the Greenbrier section of the Park. (Most of this 4-mile-long spur road is gravel.) At 3.1 miles, another spur branches off to the left. Stay straight. Pit toilets are available at the Greenbrier Picnic Area, about 3 miles from US 321. Parking is limited at the trailhead. Try to get there early. And you’ll have to contend with fewer people if you go there during the week rather than on the weekend.