Western North Carolina

View from Wayah Bald

A few years ago the ladies in my family did a trip to the mountains in July and we stayed in Dillard, Georgia. It was the first time I had stayed in the area and I enjoyed my time there. We went kayaking, hiking, found a salvage yard, and visited a fun French-ish restaurant that was located adjacent to a gas station. I liked the area and wanted to return. 

In the years since, I have been back to the Franklin, North Carolina area a few times. This year, we went over 4th of July weekend. We decided to go there because we thought it would be a good place to avoid the crowds that you find in many areas of the North Carolina mountains. It was a good choice. We were able to do all the things we wanted to and didn't feel that we were ever in a situation where there were too many people in close quarters. 

During this visit, we hiked two short trails. I was amazed at the flowers we were able to find along the trails and roads, since it was July and many flowers had already bloomed. I wanted to share what we found and the names of these plants. Since I haven't been able to have my Master Naturalist class, I've been trying to use the books we got as often as possible to put names to the plants and animals I see around the house and when outside. 

The first trail we hiked was the Rufus Morgan Trail, which led to waterfalls. It is a short loop trail of about a mile, but it does have some steep inclines. I liked the trail because it was pretty, not too long or busy, and had really pretty waterfalls. I am sure the waterfalls are even better this summer since we've had more rain than usual. 

Rufus Morgan Falls

Small's beard-tongue

I think this is a type of trillium that has gone to seed (after the flower is gone)

Canada violet

Downy rattlesnake plantain

Galax?

snowy hydrangea (or silverleaf)

carolina lily (or turk's-cap lily) - I think this is what this is but I'm not 100% sure

spotted wintergreen (pipsissewa) - neat flower that it grows upside down! this is just a picture of the top of it

Squaw-root - I smelled this plant before I figured out where it was. It has this strong odor so I had to stop and figure out where it was coming from. It's actually a parasitic plant that lives off of a host plant. 

After we finished this trail, we drove a little further down the main road to Wayah Bald. There is a few miles of gravel roads that lead to this bald. It was a pretty area with almost 365 degree views. There was a fairly steady stream of visitors there but it wasn't too crowded and it was not as busy as many other places that I've been too before that have similar views. This bald is usually covered in wild azaleas in the spring. We were still able to see a few blooms left and the signs said that June is usually a good month to visit to see them in bloom. It was also a unique place because two popular trails cross there, the Appalachian Trail and the Bartram Trail. 

Northern sundrops

Sweet azalea (or smooth azalea)

Fire pink (or catch-fly)

Bowman's root (mountain Indian physic)

There are many trails and attractions in this area. Clayton, Georgia is a short drive south of Franklin and Highlands, North Carolina, is just west of Franklin. Over the time that I've been visiting Franklin, here are some of my favorite places and restaurants to visit:

Franklin:

Caffe Rel - the "french-ish" restaurant located adjacent to a gas station. Don't let the outside fool you, it's a popular restaurant with some good food and good desserts!

Currahee Brewing - located in a beautiful spot on the river in downtown Franklin, they have good beer and a great view. They also will have food trucks scheduled. 

Little Tennessee Greenway Riverwalk - Mostly paved along the river. About 4 miles and also gives visitors access to the river for paddling. 

Otto:

Primitive Outback - offering kayaking trips on the Little Tennessee River. We've done a couple of trips with them and they're a nice family that takes care of everything!

Culpepper's Otto Depot - a fun salvage yard to wander around.

Dillard:

12 Spies Vineyard - nice, small winery with a really good Traminette wine

Los Arcos - good mexican restaurant we enjoyed getting take out from.