My August 12 hike was Cooper Road Trail from the Abrams Creek Ranger Station to Goldmine Trail. Cooper Road Trail is just that, a wide mostly smooth road trail. The trail rises gently as it passes the junction with Little Bottoms Trail that leads to Abrams Falls at 1.3 miles. Around 2 miles, the trail begins to climb more steadily and starts to feel more like a hike than a walk in the woods until nearing the 3-mile mark at the junction with the Goldmine Trail.
The best display of flowers is along the road between the Abrams Creek ranger station and the Abrams Creek campground. I count it as part of the Cooper Road trail because the hiker parking lot is just past the ranger station – hikers must hike along this gravel roadway to get to the Cooper Road trail from the hiker parking lot.
- Black-Eyed Susan: many + – At or just beyond peak bloom (mostly along road to campground from ranger station).
- Cardinal Flower: (1) – At peak bloom & 1 budded.
- Daisy Fleabane: some – Past peak bloom – close to being gone for this year.
- Flowering Spurge: many – At or just beyond peak bloom (mostly first half mile – along road to campground).
- Heal All: many + – Some just starting to bloom, some past blooming stage and others at peak bloom.
- Horse Nettle: few – Past peak bloom – Along road to campground from Abrams Creek ranger station.
- Joe Pye Weed: few – At peak bloom – along road to campground.
- Mountain Angelica: (1) – Past peak bloom (most blooms are gone).
- Phlox: (1) – Right at peak bloom – along road to campground.
- Pokeweed: few – Past peak bloom – along road to campground from Abrams Creek ranger station.
- Purple Flowering Raspberry: few – Past peak bloom – almost gone – along road to campground.
- Reclining Saint Andrews Cross: some – Most appeared at peak bloom – Gone on most trails checked recently.
- Red Clover: few – Past peak bloom – along roadway to campground from Abrams Creek ranger station.
- Saint John’s Wort: some – Do not appear to be at peak bloom yet.
- Spider Wort: few – Past peak bloom – Along roadway to campground from Abrams Creek ranger station.
- Spotted Jewelweed: many + – Most are well past peak bloom – largest display I have seen this year.
- Tick Trefoil: many – At or just beyond peak bloom.
- Wild Potato Vine: many – Some at peak bloom – some past peak bloom – campground roadway.
As it now stands, this will be the last 2024 wildflower report for around three to four weeks.
Photos are from my photo files.
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- Joe Pye Weed
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- Spiderwort
Tom Harrington is a regular hiker who reports on wildflowers in the Smokies.