Great Smoky Mountains Elkmont Firefly Watchers to Invade this June!

It happens every year in the Smokies and it doesn't happen anywhere else in the world like this. The invasion. It may not be the British invasion of the 60's, but beetles are involved in this one as well. The synchronous fireflies of the Smokies are coming…The synchronous fireflies of the Smokies are coming!

To say that the sight of a Smokies firefly blinking in perfect harmony with thousands of other lightning bugs all around you is a true miracle of nature is not an exaggeration. Scientists have been coming here from around the world to study our extremely rare fireflies and though they know much about these little creatures, the ability to control the synchronized flashing lights is still a mystery.

Other than a small area in Asia that has a different lightning bug that flashes in the trees synchronized, no other fireflies around the world can do this like ours in the Smoky Mountains can.

The synchronous firefly Photinus carolinus is not alone in the Great Smoky Mountains as there are actually 18 other species that we know of, but only this one flashes in unison, thousands of them at a time!

While this amazing firefly is so rare, it can be found in staggeringly huge numbers in section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee just a few minutes from Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

So many people came to this small place every year for the 2 weeks that this display of flashing lights happens, that a shuttle service had to be arranged in order to fit as many people as possible safely and comfortably.

Until last year if you wanted to see the fireflies in Elkmont during the peak mating season when they flash, you would have to park at the Sugarlands Visitor Center Parking area just outside the city limits of Gatlinburg Tennessee.

You would then wait in line for hours hoping that there was space on the shuttle for you. Many people were turned away everyday as only about 1,000 people per night could be accommodated.

Last years in 2012 the system changed so that you must reserve a parking pass in advance for $1.50 a car and then up to 6 people from that car are able to buy a round trip ticket to see the fireflies in Elkmont for $1 a person.

While the new reservation system for the firefly shuttles worked far better, a problem last year was that the fireflies were just about done with their mating a full 2 weeks earlier than normal when the shuttle were running. Wildflowers were also blooming about 2 - 3 weeks earlier than normal as well due to exceptionally warm weather in the winter.

This year the wildflowers, trees, migrating birds and insects in the Great Smoky Mountains are about a week behind normal so the shuttles are scheduled to run from June 6th through June 13th a time right in line with previous peak flashing seasons.

The early reservations sold out within hours and now the only parking passes so you can ride the firefly shuttle are being sold on a first come first served bases the day before departure. With only 85 passes a day to be sold, we expect them to be sold out in minutes every day they become available.

If all this sounds like too much of a hassle, or if you missed out and the tickets are gone, all is not lost. There are a few places where the fireflies can be seen before, during and after the main display in Elkmont.

As a matter of fact, there are even cabins that you can rent where you will be able to see the synchronous fireflies right from your deck or just a short distance on private property you and other guest have access to. No crowds, no lines and no fees!

The Brothers Cove Log Cabin Resort community happens to be one of those magical places in the Smokies where you can find the synchronous fireflies because it has everything the little critters like: a very wooded natural environment with small creeks and even large open fields. Brothers Cove is also tucked in a mountain far away from the lights of Pigeon Forge which makes the firefly show that much better.

Besides Brothers Cove, there are other places in the Great Smoky Mountains national park where you can catch the fireflies away from the crowds. If you are willing to hike in for a distance, park your car at the Cades Cove orientation shelter and walk right in. Fireflies can be seen in the fields, on Sparks Lane, by the Abrams Falls Trailhead and Hyatt Lane.

Don't feel like walking far? They can be seen in Tremont which is between Townsend and Cades Cove also at around the same time of the year. Coming later? Mid to late June they can be found if you park your car at one of the pull outs along Clingmans Dome Road. Since it is up higher the season starts later.

There are other places outside the park in Wears Valley, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge that these true miracles of God's creation can be found!

Synchronized Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains

Smoky Mountains firefly show in Elkmont near Gatlinburg

You can't come to the Smokies in spring and not see the synchronized firefly show in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains national park near Gatlinburg Tennessee.

No one is really sure why the lightning bugs are only synchronized here in the Smoky Mountains, in small areas in Kentucky and Asia. There are more than a dozen species of lightning bugs but only one of these fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the Photinus Carolinus, gives us the light show that attracts thousands of visitors a year.

The peak of the lightning bugs synchronized light show is happening right now so shuttles are running from the Sugarland's Visitor Center off Newfound Gap Road to firefly viewing area in Elkmont in order to accommodate the almost 1,000 people a day who may come to see lightning bugs along the Little River flash in unison for hours.

The green light called bioluminescence the synchronized firefly uses to attract its mate is caused when an enzyme produced by the beetle is mixed with oxygen. As long as you stay away from bright lights you can see the fireflies light up from quite a distance and in various shades of from light green to blue.

While the lights from the lightning bugs will seem sparse and random at first, slowly the lights start to flash and roll up and down the mountainsides and fields in waves and at times in patterns, then huge sustained flashes and then total darkness. Random light flashes from the fireflies start again and then the whole light show begins all over.

You can't bring a cooler on board the shuttle tram which is the only way to get into Elkmont until Monday the 15th of June but you can bring a picnic in a carry on bag or backpack. Many people who come to the firefly show in Elkmont take along a blanket and enjoy a picnic dinner near the Little River, or along the hiking trail.

Since the beginning of the firefly viewing area is a hiking trail on an old road bed which is paved, it is accessible for people of all ages and levels of mobility. The trail is miles long and though most people who come to the lightning bug show stay close to the trail head near the parking lot, there is plenty of room for everyone to stretch out.

If you walk further down the trail there are plenty of boulders to sit on along the Little River and enjoy the fireflies, and a few log benches as well. To enjoy the light show look to the right side of the trail away from the river.

You can bring along a flashlight but you need to use one with a red lens cover or if it has a red led. Dark red cellophane works well too. If the light is not covered it can disrupt the fireflies from flashing and will make it harder for you and those around you to see well in the darkness.

The shuttle trams start running at 6 pm from the Sugarland's Visitor Center parking area for a $1 a person round trip to the Elkmont Firefly light show viewing area. The trams return back with the last tram arriving back to the Sugarlands around midnight.

Want to avoid the crowds? Check out the light show on your own next week starting next Monday. Until then the only way to get into Elkmont during the evening will be with the shuttle. The firefly light show will still be fun for all of next week too.

If you are staying in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg or Sevierville the firefly light show in the Great Smoky Mountains national park should not be missed!

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