New Departure: Great Smoky Mountains in Spring

May 16, 2019/90 Comments/in Images, News, Rambles /by Kenton Krueger

Backcountry Journeys has been traveling to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for autumn colors for years and years. After each of these tours, we were left thinking, what could be better than the Smoky Mountains in autumn?

We now have the answer: the Smoky Mountains in springtime, of course!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is world-renowned for its wildflower diversity, and springtime delivers your best opportunity to witness, and photograph, these amazing blooms. This glorious display of wildflowers, in addition to a bewildering variety of other flora and fauna, is to the Smokies what granite domes and waterfalls are to Yosemite, and geysers and wildlife are to Yellowstone. Wildlife opportunities should be plenty as animals, like Black bear, are active as temperatures warm, and tourist levels are still low.

Weather during this time is typically favorable, as the end of winter brings warming temperatures, perfect for this photo adventure of a lifetime!

Join us this spring and witness all the Smokies have to offer: namely, waterfalls, fantastic landscapes, sweeping views of over 1,500 different and colorful wildflowers as the park will be in full bloom during our visit. All packaged in classic Backcountry Journeys tour fashion.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a wonderful place, and no doubt a must on any photographer’s bucket list. Join Backcountry Journeys this spring, and we’re sure that you’ll make memories, new friends and a collection of classic and unique landscape and wildlife images.

Great Smoky Mountains in Spring
Lodge-based hiker photo and standard photo
April 12th – 17th, 2020 Hiker Photo Tour
April 19th – 24th, 2020 Standard Photo Tour
6 Days / $3395

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Kenton Krueger

Kenton Krueger grew up and spent the first 33 years of his life in the corn country of Omaha, Nebraska. After studying aviation at the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Aviation Institute, he “conned” his way into the newsroom at the award-winning Omaha World-Herald where for 3+ years he wrote and photographed news articles on a variety of topics such as community events, travel and even mixed martial arts for the sports department. Yet something was missing. While on backpacking trips to Grand Teton and Grand Canyon National Parks in the mid-2000’s he was quick to realize that the wild lands of the western United States stoked a fire in his heart as nothing else could. This realization led to a relocation to Flagstaff, Arizona, and he hasn’t looked back. He has spent the past several years guiding backpackers, hikers and photographers into the wild places of the American West such as Havasu Falls, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone National Parks as well as in the Grand Staircase Escalante in southern Utah. In addition to backpacking and camping, his adventures include rock climbing, exploring the slot canyons of southern Utah, mountain biking, and bagging 14ers in Colorado’s San Juan Mountain Mountain Range. Kenton is a trail runner, a former pilot, newspaper photographer, and writer. Kenton looks forward to utilizing his years of guiding experience, combined with his passion and experience behind the lens to provide memorable and unforgettable experiences at the wild places we will visit together.