| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Elevation Gain |
Average Moving Time |
Year to Date Miles |
| 6/11/2025 |
3.6 miles |
1 hour 49 minutes |
162' |
2.3 |
208.4 miles |
Parking: - 2809 Kelly Ln, Kodak, TN. Free parking.
Map:- Walk through the barn, following the paved trail. Cross the bridge to the island. Go in a clockwise loop around the island, stopping to take the spur trail at the south end of the island. Return across the bridge. Turn left onto Seven Islands Loop Trail. Turn right onto Upland Trail Inner Loop. Turn left when you reach the paved trails/bathroom and return to the parking area.
Glen and I stayed in Gatlinburg, TN last night so he could hike Mt. LeConte today with Phyllis & Paul. I dropped him off at the trailhead in the morning and then headed north to hike at Seven Islands State Birding Park with Krumm. I loved this park. I've always thought I should create a meadow-bagging challenge, and this hike should be on it! Even though this park is only an hour away from the Smokies and two hours away from Asheville, it doesn't look at all like a WNC hike. I'm not a birder, but I enjoyed seeing (and hearing) a few different species of birds - the park attracts 200 different bird species.
The entrance to the park is through a barn. There is a park stamp in the barn. Past the barn are restrooms and a trail kiosk with a map. There was a sign up about a heat advisory. I recommend doing this hike in the spring or fall, not in the summer. The temperature was around 75 to 83 degrees, but it felt very hot due to the sun exposure and humidity. There isn't much shade on the trails.
The main paved path straight ahead leads you to a bridge that crosses the French Broad River and takes you to one of the islands. This hike is mostly next to meadows. This park had signs about a strict dog on leash policy, but I did let him off leash to take a quick swim in the river to cool off. After crossing back over the bridge from the island, we headed uphill, and I was just hot. We took breaks in the shade. And then another meadow crossing in full sun. I would have loved to have hiked more, but I gave up due to being hot.
I enjoyed this hike - there were lots of wildflowers in the meadows. I saw several butterflies with long tails - I don't know what kind. And there were tons of birds - the park has managed to attract many different birds. I saw a notice that they have firefly viewing nights (not synchronous fireflies). I would love to go back to this park during a cooler time of year. Being 2 hours away from Asheville, it's doable as a day hike. The park has 9 miles of trails. Lots of meadows does mean increased tick exposure. I had one on my hand and pulled one off of Krumm. But we've been finding multiple ticks a week hiking locally as well.
Glen, Phyllis, and Paul enjoyed their Mt. LeConte hike, and finished around 5pm. They were tired. This was Phyllis' last hike of the CMC's 100 Favorite Trails challenge. We finished out the day with ice cream in Gatlinburg. The last 3 photos are from their hike.
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| Looking out at the French Broad River |
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| Taking a quick on-leash deck next to the bridge |
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| Underneath the bridge were birds nests |
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| Baby birds peaking out |
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| Cooling off |
