Great Wildflower photography without a long hike in the woods!

Spring is a wonderful to be in the Great Smoky Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains national park is one of the best places to see a huge variety of beautiful wild flowers in the Southeastern United States. Photographers wait all year to come here to the Smokies and may hike miles to find the wild flowers that are looking for.

Well we will let you in on a little secret, if you rent a cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains, you me be able to take see stunning wildflowers and other fantastic nature photographs right from a cabin in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge or Sevierville!

To prove this point we picked out a location that is so close to both downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge you can see it in the distance. You can also see from this mountain the famous triple peaks of Mt LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and Bluff Mountain near Wears Valley.

Here we found a few outstanding log cabins for rent - all with great views and facing west and semi west for great sunsets from the decks of these vacation rentals that all have hot tubs outside.

3 of these great cabins are all on the same street walking distance from one another and here is where I started to look for wildflowers that were only a short walking distance from these cabins in the Smokies.

I first looked with about 100 yards in both directions which was hard to do as the weather in the Smokies today was perfect and I could see all the way out to the Cumberland Plateau from all of these cabins.

Right next to the cabins were flowering trees and bushes and I took the picture of the dogwood tree with large white flowers and the red and yellow Columbine flower across the street.

Along the street you will see a rock wall and if you walk uphill along this rock wall you will see the nature has created a beautiful rock garden with Hepatica, wood anemone and great chickweed. There is also a beautiful contrast of colors and patterns on the leaves of wildflowers just waiting to bloom!

A few paces up on the left are vines with beautiful showy trumpets of yellow with a red throat. Stop here for a while and keep your eyes open as hummingbirds have been on this mountaintop now for almost a week and if you are careful you will see them darting around looking to get a tasty snack. Make sure you look out here at the awesome view too .Walking maybe another 75 more feet uphill is you will have passed by at least 8 clumps of common blue violets which have been blooming for weeks.

A little further up and you will see the fresh green and red leaves just unfurling to catch the light and warmth of the sun poking out between sprays of more Great Chickweed dancing in the afternoon breeze.

Walking higher up on the right are 3 clumps right now of a sure sign of spring in the Smokies - some Fire Pink flowers that are actually bright red.

Ok we only have a little ways more to go to get to the top of the mountain! Enjoy the view on the left and the other wildflowers on the right. Be sure to be careful or you may miss the pretty Daisy Fleabane some of which was poking out by some moss along the side of the road.

Ok not much further to go to get to the peak where you make a rich down the new paved road and you will see one of the best vistas in the Smokies and score of flowering bushes!

So what are the names of the cabins for rent so close to all of this beauty?

One of them is Angels Abode which is a 3 Bedroom Log Cabin for rent in Pigeon Forge with 3 Bathrooms and sleeps 8 people

 

Evening View which is a 3 Bedroom Log Cabin for rent in Pigeon Forge with 3 Bathrooms and sleeps 8 people.

 

Both smaller and larger vacation rentals units are also close by at American Mountain Rentals Cabins in the Smokies.

Smoky Mountains fall colors and wildflowers: Cove Mountain Trail

The recent light rain may have washed down many of the colorful fall leaves but there are still plenty of fall colors to be found right next to Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

One of the lesser traveled hiking trails in the Great Smoky Mountains national park that is very close to the city of Gatlinburg is a perfect place right now to see fall colors, long vistas and even a few wildflowers that are still left blooming.

The beginning of the Cove Mountains Hiking trail is less than 2 minutes from downtown Gatlinburg and is right behind the national park headquarters. The trail passes by Cataract Falls which is generally a trickle this time of year. After you are past the falls you will run into few people if any.

If you were to hike the entire length of this trail it would almost be an 18 mile round trip, but there is no need to hike that far. Hiking just an hour or so in you will pass by pretty views, streams, plenty of fall colors and the best wildflowers still left blooming on the national park.

The majority of the steepest hiking will be within the first half hour on this trail. The trail is very smooth and usually bone dry so you can hike comfortably with just sneakers.

On this trail you will still find yellow and crimson red fall leaves on the trees. There is also plenty of color on the bushes, small plants and young trees along the forest floor.

While usually by this time of the year there are few if any flowers blooming, this trail has more than any other trail we had checked for weeks.

There are a variety of small wildflowers still blooming and the color pallet ranges from pure white to yellows and light and deep purples. All of the wildflowers in the photo montage below were photographed from the Cove Mountains hiking trail yesterday.

While same of these wildflowers are far past their peak, there are still blooming and giving some additional color other than just the fall leaves to the mountains and forest floor.

You can look at the wildflowers in the National Park but you must remember not to pick them or remove plants or even seeds. Plants, animals and even rocks are protected within the boundaries of the national park.

While same of these wildflowers are far past their peak, there are still blooming and giving some additional color than just the fall leaves to the mountains and forest floor.

Speaking of seeds, by this time of the year many of the wildflowers have turned into seeds. Even in their simplicity there is great beauty so be sure to take your time and take in all the fall beauty of the park.

The seed head above was about half the size of a dime and was in some moss along the side of the trail about and hour and a half up. Looking up from this point you will see giant red leaves hanging from a flame oak tree.

Once you get out of the hollows, the hiking trail follows a ridgeline which often looks out at the mountains across the valley. The light was fading fast when more clouds came in you could see the yellow still popping out in the valleys where more of what's left of the fall colors are.

What's unusual about this hiking trail and unlike most other hiking trails within the Great Smoky Mountains national park is that this trail passes close by some homes and cabins so if you smell smoke it may be a fireplace not a wildfire.

You won't have to hike long to enjoy the fall colors on Cove Mountains but you will enjoy all the time you spend on this wonder fall hike.

The Cove Mountain Hiking Trail is just minutes from dozens of Smoky Mountains cabins for rent by American Mountain Rentals.

Springtime in the Smoky Mountains – The best time to vacation here and rent a cabin!

The trees are all green, there are wildflowers blooming everywhere, momma and baby bear cubs can be seen in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the weather is perfect, the crowds are small and cabins for rent have off season rates and even discounts so why aren't you here vacationing in the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Smokies?

May is the last month for the off season rates other than on Memorial Day which is the lowest discount cabin rental rates for the year. You can not find a better time to come to rent a cabin in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg and have the vacation or weekend getaway of a lifetime.

With so much to do and such perfect weather with everything is so close by you won't use much gas and you will see why locals find this one of the best times to visit the Smokies.

The Great Smoky Mountains national park is full of the sounds of birds, babbling brooks, roaring waterfalls and gentle breezes in the trees. Look around and everywhere everything is green or a riot of colors from the flowers, butterflies, flowering trees and bushes and peace and quiet can be found in places that are normally crowded in peak season.

If you love fishing, you will love fishing here now! The fish are biting and the insects aren't and you can leave the crowds behind and relax beneath the trees and fish in the sparking clear water of the streams and rivers in the Smokies!

Expect daytime temperatures in the 70s and the attractions such as Dollywood, the hundreds of restaurants and the roads in the Smoky Mountains to not be crowded.

Right now if you can get a 15% discount if you rent a cabin in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg or Sevierville and check-in within the next 7 days. You can also take advantage of renting a cabin or chalet for 6 nights and get the 7th night free. There are even special Dollywood park discount tickets packages available with cabin rentals! Cabin Rentals Discounts are for new rentals only and do not apply on holidays.

So rent a cabin today, pack up the car or van (don't forget your camera!) and come home to the Smoky Mountains!