Today was another hike day on the road to the West Coast Trail. We planned to hike the Noland Divide Trail but our plans changed quickly when we arrived at Sugarlands Visitors Center (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) and discovered a tree had fallen across 441. A ranger informed us that the road was closed until emergency crews could remove it, expected wait…at least an hour.
Sitting in our car in the Sugarlands parking lot, John grabbed our trail map and looked for a trail close by. A heavy rain started to fall and we briefly discussed going home (rain in the park is becoming our greatest hiking challenge). Instead we drove to the Cove Mountain trailhead, located just behind park headquarters. The rain quit as we pulled in a parking spot. We were pleased to find that the sky above us was a brilliant blue although a glance through the trees revealed that nearby mountains were socked in under heavy cloud cover.
We hiked quickly covering about 6-miles. We had the trail to ourselves except for 2 couples we passed during the last 30 minutes. As with our recent hikes, this one was uphill for the out trip and downhill for the return. We turned around at the 2 hour point. Unfortunately, as we started back to the car, the skies clouded and the rain began. It was a hard, pelting rain so we stopped to put on ponchos. Our return hike was mostly in the rain and we were pretty damp by the time we arrived at the car.
Vegetable soup and a big salad at the Brass Lantern chased away our rain chill. Another hike completed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
As the mountain laurel begins to fade, the flame azalea comes in bloom. The azalea is one of the most spectacular sights in the Smokies.
Flame azalea from another angle.
Cataract Falls is located about .1-mile from the trail head.
