I'm planning a trip to the Smokies this spring. Ideally I would photograph wildflowers and dogwoods in Tremont, Cades Cove and White Oak Sink. I know the exposed doggies in Cades Cove come in a bit early, while the secluded wildflowers in White Oak Sink are later than the rest.
I need to book my (long) weekend soon. Anyone have a good bet when we will see peak conditions in these areas?
Thanks!
Posted by Bruce Painter on March 24, 2010 at 11:57 AM
I'm not going to be any help here Mathew, but I thought that Cades Cove would still be closed around time for the dogwoods. I'm looking at one of the last two weekends in April but I haven't decided which one yet.
Check the construction schedule. I don't believe Cades Cove will open until mid May. There are also other areas under construction. I believe there is a thread from a couple of weeks ago that has a link to it.
Posted by Darrell Epps on March 24, 2010 at 5:11 PM
Cades Cove along with Roaring Fork Motor Trail are both closed from what I have read. The entry to Cataloochee was also closed earlier and I have not heard if it is yet opened. The following link details the road closures and dates from the National Park Service website.
Posted by Julie Hatvany on March 24, 2010 at 5:19 PM
Matthew,
I was looking at some shots from Tremont taken in 2008, looks like the Dogwoods were blooming the last week of April.
Posted by Julie Hatvany on March 24, 2010 at 5:21 PM
Matthew,
I was looking at some shots from Tremont taken in 2008, looks like the Dogwoods were blooming the last week of April.
Posted by Steve Hamley on March 25, 2010 at 5:34 PM
Matthew,
Cades Cove opens May 21st, so don't plan on flowers in the Cove this year. I'd expect the third week of April (19th - 23rd) to be generally good, if it is good.
Cheers, Steve
Posted by Bruce Painter on March 26, 2010 at 9:57 AM
I looked back at the dates for my 2008 and 2009 trips. The 2008 shots I looked at were taken on April 27th and 28th. Like Julie said the dogwoods were blooming then. As a matter of fact they were really good but a lot of the wildflowers were from past peek to forget about it. The photos from last year show dates of April 18th and 19th The wildflowers were good then but it was early for the dogwoods. I really don't know if this week to two week apart cycle is the trend or if it was just more for those two years. I'm sure someone here could tell us though.
Discussion
8 repliesI'm planning a trip to the Smokies this spring. Ideally I would photograph wildflowers and dogwoods in Tremont, Cades Cove and White Oak Sink. I know the exposed doggies in Cades Cove come in a bit early, while the secluded wildflowers in White Oak Sink are later than the rest.
I need to book my (long) weekend soon. Anyone have a good bet when we will see peak conditions in these areas?
Thanks!
Bruce
https://sercms.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/upload/2010-closures.pdf
I was looking at some shots from Tremont taken in 2008, looks like the Dogwoods were blooming the last week of April.
I was looking at some shots from Tremont taken in 2008, looks like the Dogwoods were blooming the last week of April.
Cades Cove opens May 21st, so don't plan on flowers in the Cove this year. I'd expect the third week of April (19th - 23rd) to be generally good, if it is good.
Cheers, Steve
Bruce
Thanks