Fairyland in the Smokies

Some of the acreage of wildflowers at the bottom of the sink

We are in Townsend, TN, near Smoky Mountain National Park. The Smokies are reknowned for the beauty of their spring wildflower displays, and that was the biggest impetus for us to make this trip. So today we set out for a trail I had discovered while searching the web for "best wildflower trails in the Smokies". I was surprised that even the national park site didn't list this trail, just the trail off which it runs. But descriptions I read said that Whiteoak Sink had a gorgeous display of wildflowers that was not to be missed. So after breakfast, we set out, and arrived at the main trailhead a short while later. The day was cool and comfortable; we started the hike wearing jackets. All along the sides of the trail, we saw many banks of wildflowers: trillium, phlox, wild geranium, white violets, crested iris, and much more.

The trail was flanked by tall hardwoods just coming into leaf. About 1 1/4 miles up the trail, we knew

we had to turn for the Sink trail, but we saw no signs. We continued on until Ray had the idea that we might have passed the turn off. We checked the trail map I had downloaded, and sure enough, we had missed the turn off which had been unmarked. We retraced our steps and started down into the Sink. The trail got narrower and rockier, and we started to note even more wildflowers. 

When we reached the bottom of the Sink, at about 2.1 miles in, we saw why reviews of this trail included words like "magical", "amazing", "spectacular", "surreal", and "outstanding". Laid out before us were acres of wildflowers, a sea of purple, white and pink with dots of yellow. It was as if we were transported to a fairytale place. Mind blown. Unfortunately, the park service had to put up net fencing in certain areas to keep people from trampling the flowers, and stationed 3 park rangers in this area to monitor and guide people around the area. From the bottom, we hiked up to a gravesite of a former resident of the area, Abraham Law, who died in 1844. On the way out, we stopped at a small waterfall, and had a snack. We retraced our path back to the parking lot, even more aware of all the natural beauty we might have missed on the way in.

Photos of the day are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DTdrkQrVEaFrqjvD9