I have hiked a couple of trails lately, with many flowers showing off for the season: Finley Crane and Turkey Pen. The Finley Cane Trail starts from Laurel Creek Road (left side), about five and a half miles from the Townsend Wye.  Two other trails start from this location – Lead Cove and Turkey Pen. Other than the Bluets and Hydrangea, there are not many flowers in bloom on this trail now. These are the first Purple Flowering Raspberry Blooms that I have found in bloom this year.

  • Common Elderberry – (1) – At peak bloom.
  • Galax – Some – Well past peak bloom (about gone).
  • Goats Beard – Few – Past peak bloom.
  • Large Bluets – Many – Slightly past peak bloom.
  • Pipsissewa – Few – Mostly at peak bloom.
  • Purple Flowering Raspberry – (2) – At peak bloom.
  • Rosebay Rhododendron – Few – Just starting to bloom.
  • White Violets – Few – Not sure which kind.
  • Wild Hydrangea – Many + – Mostly at peak bloom

Turkey Pen Trail is 3.6 miles long and starts from Laurel Creek Road, about five and a half miles from the Townsend Wye (across the road from the trailheads for Finley Cane and Lead Cove trails).  Turkey Pen likely would be classified as a moderately difficult hike.  There are three stream crossings about a quarter of a mile off the trail that can be challenging to cross after heavy rainfall.  It is a horse trail.  The trail dead ends at School House Gap trail. The park trail crew has recently done an amazing job trimming and cutting back the undergrowth on this trail.

  • Basil Bee Balm – (2)
  • Common Blue Violet – (1)
  • Flame Azalea – Few – At peak bloom.
  • Galax – Few – About gone.
  • Large Bluet – Many – Mostly at peak bloom.
  • Pipsissewa – Some – Few at peak bloom.
  • Rosebay Rhododendron – Many – Various stages of the blooming process – Scattered along trail
  • Teaberry – Few
  • Wild Hydrangea – Many + – Mostly at peak bloom.

Tom Harrington is a regular hiker who reports on his hikes and mountain stories from the Smokies. See more of his column here.

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