Smokies Fireflies and kids

Little River Trail

6/7 - 6/9/21 (2 nights)

2021 Bag Nights: 7

The forecast looked a little wet, but we decided to give it a shot. 

We started off with a light drizzle along the Little River Trail, but it was never very heavy and the rain quit after about an hour. 

The first couple miles of the Little River trail is an old railroad bed, so it is very easy walking.

It parallels the Little River ...

... and crosses on solid bridges. 

Wildlife

Tulip Poplar

Mountain Laurel

After about 2.5 miles the road disappears and we were hiking on a trail.

We got setup at Site 30 and talked to the people who were already there. 

Swallowtail

Large fungus

At one point, there were lots of bees everywhere. They did not bother us, but they were everywhere. 

Time to head home

We ended up not seeing any synchronous fireflies. I think we were at too high of an elevation. The people that camped near us hiked about a half mile down the trail and saw fireflies, but I did not want to do a night hike and river crossing with the kids. Instead of synchronous fireflies, we saw Blue Ghost fireflies. These were really neat, because they are a glowing blue color and the light up for 20 - 30 seconds at a time, so there were blue streaks floating around.