Smokies Wildflower Weekend (Part 2) - Ramsey Cascades & Porters Creek

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Smokies Wildflower Weekend (Part 2) - Ramsey Cascades & Porters Creek

The Basics:

Event Type:

Hike

Event Location:

Greenbrier Area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Hike: Smokies Wildflower Weekend (Part 2) - Ramsey Cascades & Porters Creek

Date(s) & Time:

Sun, Apr 15 2012 9:00 am >> Sun, Apr 15 2012 3:00 pm (Carpool Departure: 6:00 pm *log in for location*)

Registration Opens:

Sun, Mar 4 2012 8:15 pm

Registration Cut Off:

Thu, Apr 12 2012 5:00 pm

Event Duration:

6 Hours

Difficulty Rating:

D4: Moderate to Difficult

Distance:

12 Miles

Pace:

Leisurely

Trip Leader(s):

Scott
Laura

Email Trip Leader(s)
You must be logged in to get the Trip Leader contact information.

Member Cost:

None

Participant Info:

Who's Invited:

Members Only, 21 And Older Only

Maximum Group Size:

Minimum Group Size:

Number Registered So Far:

21 / 0 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)

Are Dogs Permitted:

Itinerary:

This is the second of two wildflower hikes scheduled for the weekend of April 14-15 in the Cosby/Greenbrier area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Each hike will be posted separately, and you may register for either or both. You may elect to camp with the trip leaders at the Cosby Campground, stay overnight at the lodging of your choice, or return to Atlanta the same day.

Next we will be exploring the Greenbrier area of the park by hiking the Ramsey Cascades Trail to see the tallest waterfall in the Smokies and then hiking along the Porters Creek Trail to see the spectacular wildflowers that are on display there from late March through April.

Ramsey Cascades Trail
Ramsey Cascades is the tallest waterfall in the park and one of the most spectacular. Water drops 100 feet over rock outcroppings and collects in a small pool where numerous well-camouflaged salamanders can be found.

The trail to the waterfall gains over 2,000' in elevation over its 4 mile course and the 8-mile roundtrip hike is considered strenuous in difficulty. It follows rushing rivers and streams for much of its length. The last 2 miles pass through an old-growth cove hardwood forest with large tuliptrees, basswoods, silverbells, and yellow birches.

Porters Creek Trail
Most famous for its incredible spring wildflowers, we will hike about 2 miles (4 miles roundtrip) along the Porters Creek Trail to the 60 foot Fern Branch Falls passing beautiful displays of fringed phacelia, bishop's cap, trillium, violets, mayapple, blue cohosh, geranium, Fraser's sedge, toothworth, phlox, crested dwarf iris, and countless others.

Note: The concept for these two weekend hikes is to provide participants with multiple options. Your TLs plan to leave Atlanta on Friday night and return to Atlanta on Sunday evening. However, you may also make either hike a one day event. For example, you may leave Atlanta very early on Sunday morning and return Sunday night. Following registration for these events, we will circulate an email to assist in crystallizing carpool arrangements based upon your chosen departure date.

Optional Camping: Your TLs are planning to spend Friday and Saturday night camping at the Cosby Campground. If you are interested in sharing a campsite there, please note that in your registration. The cost for this will be about $5 per person, depending on how many people are interested.

(Thanks to Clay & Jimmy for the idea of a two-part weekend hiking event.)

Required Items to Bring:
Water or Energy Drinks
Trail Snacks
Lunch
Good Hiking Shoes/Boots

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.
Camera
Hiking Poles
Sunscreen
Bug Spray

How to Get There:

Event Directions:

Ramsey Cascades Trailhead

Located in the Greenbrier Area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To get to the Greenbrier entrance to the park, take US-321 six miles east of Gatlinburg or 12 miles west of the Cosby Campground. Then follow the signs to the Ramsey Cascades Trailhead.

Carpool to Event Distance (round trip):

400Mile(s)

Carpool Departure Time:

6:00 pm

Carpool Location:

Carpool Directions:

Carpool Cost:

Estimated cost per vehicle for this event is $160.00 using a reimbursement rate guideline of $0.400 per mile. The total amount should be divided by the number of people in the vehicle, including the driver. This is a guideline, not a rule, for drivers but the cost should not be higher unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Notes:

* We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines while participating in AOC events.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance: Please review the AOC cancellation policy.