Smoky Mountain Wildflowers

Posted by Jamie McIntosh Jul 3, 2009

Yesterday I spent two hours paddling a river with class II rapids with my family. Class II doesn't sound like much of an adventure, unless 2/3 of your paddling party has the upper body strength of a tree frog. At each of the eight named rapids we traversed, we paddled like hapless fools in one direction, while the current ignored our feeble splashing and guided us toward features like the "surprise hole" and the "double drop." While hung up on some of the boulders that punctuated this journey, I did have a few moments to observe some of the wildflowers that lined the river banks. I was most impressed with the rhododendrons, which grew as spindly specimens in some places and 15 foot natural hedges in others.

If you visit the Smoky Mountains, bring a wildflower field guide with you to help you identify the more than 1500 flowering plants that grace this national park, including approximately 300 rare plants. And if you go white water rafting, bring a life jacket, if not a guide!