This week’s hike took me to Rich Mountain Trail. The trail starts from the Rich Mountain Road just feet from the park boundary and deadends at its junction with the Indian Grave Trail 2.3 miles up the trail. The trail is fairly steep.

This trail has outstanding displays of Indian Pinks, Flame Azaleas, Mountain Laurel, Four Leaf Milkweed and Spiderwort blooms at this time. I do not recall finding the Indian Pinks on any other trail on the Tennessee side of the park. One would not have to go more than a half mile up the trail to see the Indian Pinks, Spiderworts and Four Leaf Milkweed. About halfway up the trail the Flame Azalea and Mountain Laurel blooms are beyond outstanding (a tree to see).

Along with those beauties, here are others along the trail.

  • Bar Cucumber – Few – At or just beyond peak bloom – some first 1/4-mile and some last 10th-mile of trail.
  • Beard Tongue – Some – At or just beyond peak bloom – first 1/2-mile up trail.
  • Blackberry – Some – Past peak bloom first half of trail and at or just beyond peak bloom last half of the trail.
  • False Solomon’s Seal – Few – At peak bloom – second 10th-mile up trail and last 10th-mile up trail.
  • Flame Azalea – Many – At peak bloom – Brilliantly colored blooms – Scattered along trail first 1-1/2 miles up trail.
  • Four Leaf Milkweed – Some – Mostly at peak bloom – first half-mile up trail.
  • Galax – Many – Some almost at peak bloom – Mostly first mile up the trail.
  • Hawkweed – Many + – Mostly at peak bloom – Starting about half-mile up trail.
  • Hispid Buttercup – Few – At peak bloom – last quarter-mile up the trail.
  • Indian Cucumber Root – Few – Slightly past peak bloom – last half-mile up the trail.
  • Indian Pink – Many + – Mostly at peak bloom – Approximately 4/10- to 6/10-mile up trail. Amazingly beautiful.
  • Large Bluet – Some – At peak bloom – first half-mile up the trail.
  • Maple Leaf Viburnum – Few – At or just beyond peak bloom – about 4/10-mile up trail & last 2/10-mile of trail.
  • Meadow Parsnip – Few – Past peak bloom.
  • Mountain Laurel – Many – At peak bloom – Scattered along trail – best blooms about halfway up the trail.
  • Partridge Berry – Few – At peak bloom.
  • Pipsissewa – Few – Just starting to bloom.
  • Spiderwort – Many – At peak bloom – 3/10- to 4/10–mile up trail – most colorful on cloudy day.
  • Star Grass – Many – At peak bloom – starting about halfway up the trail.
  • Sweet Shrub – Few – Just past peak bloom – last 2/10-mile up the trail.
  • Sweet White Violet – Very few – At or just beyond peak bloom – last 2/10-mile up the trail.
  • Wild Geranium – Few – Well past peak bloom – last 2/10-mile up the trail.
  • Yellow Wood Sorrell – Few – Approaching peak bloom – first half-mile up the trail.

Tom Harrington is a regular hiker who reports on wildflowers in the Smokies.

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