Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage Returns to the Smokies

The Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage — a quiet, beloved Smoky Mountain institution since 1951 — returns April 22 through 25 with four days of guided hikes, workshops, and expert-led walks through the richest wildflower territory east of the Rockies. Great Smoky Mountains National Park hosts more than 1,500 flowering plant species; this is the week to see them before the canopy closes in.

Rangers, botanists, and naturalists lead daily programs covering everything from common spring ephemerals — trillium, bloodroot, lady slipper — to the subtler art of reading ferns, mosses, and the birds that come with them. Photography walks, stream ecology hikes, and an evening of traditional Appalachian music round out the program. Registration is modest and fills every year.

If you're going: Gatlinburg sits as the northern gateway; most programs start in or near the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Book lodging now — the town fills through the pilgrimage weekend. Bring waterproof boots; the trails are wet in late April.

Sources: Pigeon Forge guide, Gatlinburg annual events