Georgia Wilderness Society
Adventures in the Smoky Mountains - Elkmont
May 22 - 26, 2022
Synchronous Firefly Trip to Smoky Mountains National Park Trip Report
Elkmont Campground is one of only three known locations of Synchronous Fireflies in North America. Which three weeks the fireflies will perform their mating ritual is a moving target from the last weeks of May to mid June. We signed up for campsites in January to camp at the closest dates available, that being May 22nd to May 26th. When the park entomologists announced their prediction on April 26th this year, they chose June 3rd to June 10th. So, we did see synchro-nous fireflies, but not as spectacularly as it would have been had we been able to get closer to the entomologist’s choice of dates.
The hiking, scenery, camaraderie, and stories around the campfire were great. Trails hiked by various members included the Little River Trail, Cucumber Gap Trail, Jakes Creek Trail, all of which were reachable from our campground. Additionally, Trace and Denise bicycled the Cades Cove Loop Trail, and Curt, Irene, and Bernard hiked the West Prong Trail. Wildlife seen: Turkeys along all the roadways, black bears, butterflies, and of course fireflies.
Members Present: Curt and Irene Cole, Trace Butler, Denise Kelley, Walt Bowman and Marcia Brelsford, and Bernard and Genise Spenle (trip leader). Photos contributed by Curt, Bernard, and Genise.
For more info about the Synchronous Fireflies, you can follow these links:
