Yesterday Jeff and I took another wonderful wildflower walk.
This loop is very close to where we are camped~Elkmont Campground.
The Great Smoky Mountain National park
The trail starts at The Little River Trailhead
At the beginning of the trail you'll pass by a few of the old resort cottages of Elkmont. The cottages were built in the 1920s, and were used as summer homes by the affluent from Knoxville. As of this writing the homes are in disrepair and are off limits to the public. However, in the fall of 2008, National Park crews completed emergency stabilization to 18 of the historic cabins, as well as the Appalachian Clubhouse. The park plans to fully restore all 19 structures so that they can be opened and viewed by the public. As part of the first phase of the Elkmont restoration project, the Park Service reopened the old Appalachian Clubhouse for public day use rental in June of 2011.
It must have been a wonderful retreat area
Some of the homes are being maintained while others are left to nature to break down..
The trail parallels the Little River and is easy with a gradual climb.
A lovely hike for families…
We saw many Fraser's Sedge on this hike, compared to yesterdays hike at Porter Creek.
White Erect Trillium Trillium erectum albiflorum
just about to bloom
Jeff was eyeing the water and thinking fish :)
Rue Anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
Yellow Trillum all over the woodlands
Awesome!
Fly fisherman
at about 2.5 miles we reached the
Cucumber Gap trail
The path is narrower here and the hike a bit more difficult a 400 foot steady climb within the next mile. Watch out for the many roots in the path.
Yellow Trout Lily Erythronium americanum
I wonder why some of the Trout Lily have brown spotting and others do not.
Different variety?
We took a shorter crossing over some logs just a bit downstream of this crossing.
This flower has me stumped so far..
I think these are all Hepatica of some sort
Below the flower with the leaves..
More Hepatica?
When I first saw this I thought it was Dutchman's Britches..Sicksta Lori sent me this great website for Tennessee Wildflowers..
Squirrel Corn Dicentra canadensis / Bleeding Heart
Trout Lily was everywhere on this hike.
The views from this trail are all wooded views.
I would imagine in the summer there would not be much of a view with the leaves on the trees.
Walking amongst the wildflower fairyland..
Yellow Trout Lily up and down the hillside.
Carolina Spring Beauty Claytonia caroliniana
Frasier's Sedge
I like the fuzzy flower heads..
The trail has a few smallish creek crossings..
Waldo came out of hiding to hike with us..
Yellow Trillium..
This hike featured this Trillum, Trout Lily and Large-flower Trillium, the large flower Trillum was just about to bloom here, unlike yesterdays trip where they were in full bloom.
At around 4.8 miles, you'll reach the Jakes Creek Trail junction
You would take a right to continue back to the car..
Jeff and I took a .7 mile trip to the left up Jays Creek to see an old cabin.
I was tired and didn’t want to hike up to the Cabin..
Jeff took these photos.
This was an artists cabin in the early 1900s
We continued our trip backtracking on Jakes trail to the parking area.
We passed through the old town of Elkmont..
The first of the homes were spaced..
As we walked on the homes were closer together..
Then onto the main street..where they are very close together.
Another lovely hike in Wildflower Paradise!
Trail Location: Elkmont
Roundtrip Length: 5.6 Miles
Total Elevation Gain: 830 Feet
Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: 296 Feet
Highest Elevation: 3055 Feet
Trail Difficulty Rating: 7.26 (moderate)
Parking Lot Latitude 35.65365
Parking Lot Longitude -83.58018
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