Great Smoky Mountains National Park
May 2026
After a great night’s sleep at our hotel in Ashville NC, we enjoyed a big breakfast (including make-it-yourself waffles!!) before heading to the North Carolina Arboretum. Our original plan was to visit this and the Ashville Botanical Garden. However, the North Carolina Arboretum was so big and so nice, we spent the entire day there. Plus, it was only 2 or 3 miles from the hotel and I was happy to have a day off from driving. Come with us as we explore miles of trails and numerous exhibits.
We used our membership at the WV Botanic Garden at home to get free entry under a reciprocal entry program. This saved us $20 today, and has saved us money at over a dozen gardens nationwide.
Welcome to the North Carolina Arboretum in Ashville NC. For 40 years…Cultivating Connections between People, Plants and Places…amid a 434-acre public garden, The North Carolina Arboretum is located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest just south of Asheville and adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Surrounded and crisscrossed by forested coves and meandering creeks in the botanically diverse Southern Appalachian Mountains, The North Carolina Arboretum is set in one of the most beautiful natural settings in America.
The Arboretum was established as an affiliate of the University of North Carolina System by the State General Assembly in 1986, nearly a century after Frederick law Olmsted, the Father of American Landscape Architecture, first envisioned a research arboretum as part of his legacy and plan for George Vanderbilt at Biltmore Estate. Located on land within the Pisgah National Forest, the Arboretum is operated under a special use permit issued by the National Forests in North Carolina.
We began our day on the Nature Garden Trail, a 1-mile trail that circles the outer edge of the central gardens area. It is somewhat steep in places, but the variety of plants is well worth the effort.
The Natural Garden Trail is a peaceful walk through a natural woods setting. We arrived at 8am before the crowds, so we had the trail to ourselves for the first hour. There were many benches like this to stop and take a break while listening to the hundreds of birds singing.
Along the trail, we enjoyed looking at the different colors of Mountain Laurel and Azaleas.
Different shades of Mountain Laurel along the trail.
Huckleberry blooms (?)
I believe these are Fire Pink flowers. Less than 1 inch diameter.
Small rhododendron plants just beginning to bloom.
We joined a 2-hour tour led by this guide who knew a lot about the plants along the trails.
She pointed out small things that we would have probably missed. Very interesting!
Our guide pointed out the damage to the forest caused by Hurricane Helene in 2024. It is surprising that some large trees could be uprooted while nearby trees were undamaged. Some work is being done to restore the forest, but parts are left to nature. In this case, ground level flowers are growing abundantly where the shade previously slowed their growth.
Our guide took us along the Bent Creek Road where we saw Flame Azaleas along the creek and interesting old ground cover.
These small plants were just beginning to emerge. Maybe 2 inches tall. It’s easy to pass these by without a guide.
Wild Ginger plant. Jug-like flowers hide beneath the surrounding foliage.
Bloom from a tulip tree. These are usually very high up and hard to reach, so we found a nice one that had fallen.
These two mallards joined our tour along the Bent Creek Road.
We enjoyed the Mountain Laurel along the trail, and Beth was especially fond of the Flame Azaleas (she has a nice one in her garden).
After the tour, we circled back to explore the Azalea Collection by the Bent Creek Trail.
More Flame Azaleas!
This butterfly was also enjoying the azaleas.
These two butterflies also joined us as we were exploring.
After exploring the outer loop, we headed into the central part of the Arboretum to enjoy the flower gardens. Here is the Quilt Garden, made by planting flowers within these squares to resemble a quilt when viewed from the platform.
View of the Quilt Garden from the platform.
The flowers are occasionally changed for new patterns.
Information about the Quilt Garden
This salamander (?) was enjoying the warm sun by the Quilt Garden.
Group of beautiful Rhododendron at peak bloom.
This wisteria vine was doing well on the overhead structure.
This Keiffer Pear tree has been “trained” to extend its branches outward along supports underneath.
Our next stop was the Bonsai Exhibition Garden. Many of these trees are over 100 years old.
Bonsai trees require very special trimming. This man was demonstrating how to keep the tree healthy.
Bonsai Tree – Age ?? (possible over 100 years old)
Next, we walked around the gardens enjoying the colors and variety.
Even the cactus plants bloom occasionally.
Looking for a quiet place to sit? Look no further.
Time to say “Goodbye” to the North Carolina Arboretum and head back to the hotel. First, we need to find food!
A quick online search pointed us to a nearby BBQ restaurant near us. We split a half rack of ribs and and salad. Yummy!
Join us tomorrow as we continue north on the Blue Ridge Parkway – along with a few unexpected surprises!
