Twentymile Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Spring · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Twentymile Trail is part of the Benton MacKaye Trail, and connects to the Appalachian Trail (AT). It leads directly to the Shuckstack Fire Tower. Starting at the Twentymile Ranger Station, Twentymile Trail connects to both the Twentymile Loop Trail and Wolf Ridge Trail. If visitors follow the trail past the fork leading to Wolf Ridge Trail, they'll see a small side trail that leads to Twentymile Cascade.

Traveling from the ranger station and heading northeast, runners will find themselves on a steady incline. Over the course of just over 5 miles, there will be an elevation gain of nearly 1,500 feet. While the first 3 miles of trail are generally gentle, there will be some strenuous climbing in the latter half.

Flowering plants bloom between March and July. In the fall, leaves begin to change color around September and continue through November. Two of the most common trees in this area are the mountain laurels (Kalmia latinfolia) and umbrella magnolias (Magnolia tripetala).

As for local fauna, black bears are common in the area, along with white-tailed deer and 31 species of salamanders.

For more information on black bears in the Smokies, refer to this webpage.

Birdwatchers can spot a variety of species, notably the northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) and red-eyed vireo (Vireo olivaceus).