I have lived most of my life in the foothills of Appalachia, the mountainous region that stretches from Maine to Georgia.
In this collection, I publish prized images I captured while exploring Appalachia. I consider these photos Appalachian Treasures. Do you also treasure them?
Words to live by: Let us enjoy life together!
(From a poem by Steve Madden called Enjoy Life!)
SAT45V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Pigeonwing plants, also called Butterfly Peas, are native to eastern, southern and central United States.
That’s news to me. I recall seeing just one Pigeonwing specimen in all my 66 years.
It bloomed beside Cherokee Lake along Hunt Knob Trail at Panther Creek State Park near Morristown TN.
SAT46H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
I marvel at God’s handiwork each time I visit the Roan Highlands of Upper East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
SAT43H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Which do you value more?
Grassy fields and flowering meadows
Deep blue skies painted with welcome clouds
Grassy fields, flowering meadows, blue skies and welcome clouds often appear together, as in this scene witnessed one July morning at Seven Islands State Birding Park near Knoxville TN.
SAT42V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
I sometimes forget the Cumberland Plateau is part of the Appalachian Mountains range.
This is a typical Cumberland Plateau scene. It is called Yahoo Arch, and my photograph does not fully capture its magnificence.
See Yahoo Arch in person by hiking about three miles round trip from Yahoo Falls Picnic Area in Big South Fork National River and Recreation area near Stearns KY.
SAT41V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
We were privileged to see ten Yellow Lady Slippers and more than sixty Pink Lady Slippers between April 25 and May 2, 2024.
Our trails included Schoolhouse Gap and Huskey Gap in the Smoky Mountains; and Squibb Creek, Turkey Pen Gap and Middle Springs Ridge trails in Cherokee National Forest.
SAT40V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Sugarland Mountain and Rough Creek trails presented many blow downs to clamber over during our Smoky Mountains adventure.
Thankfully, our fifteen mile loop hike also featured Showy Orchis, Yellow Lady Slippers, Foamflower and many more Spring wildflowers.
SAT39V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
This wider, deeper section of Big Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is called Midnight Hole.
SAT38V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Squirrel Corn was plentiful at Ijams Nature Center in early April.
Compare this Spring Ephemeral to its cousin, Dutchman’s Breeches.
SAT37H Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
I began to notice wildflowers along East Tennessee hiking trails in mid-March 2024.
Among many other flowering plants, Rue Anemone grew beside Panther Branch Trail in Frozen Head State Park.
SAT36V Copyright 2024 Steven L Madden
Great White was one of four Trillium varieties I saw along Panther Branch Trail in Frozen Head State Park.
Others were Red Trillium, Yellow Trillium and Toadshade Trillium.
SAT35H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
An hour northwest of Knoxville TN is a wonder-filled wilderness that features some of the most difficult and dramatic hiking anywhere in the Appalachians.
You might doubt this when you learn that no peak in the natural area rises above 3325 feet.
Hike Frozen Head’s Chimney Top Trail, or better yet, North Bird Mountain Trail, and you will be convinced of their greatness.
SAT34H Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
Don’t you just love ‘em?!
Evergreen trees, I mean. They retain their green color all year, even through severe Winter weather.
I hiked the Appalachian Trail near Grassy Ridge Bald (in the Roan Highlands) when I photographed these trees.
In their harsh environment, where average low temperatures are below 30 degrees F six months each year, and where winds above 30 mph are common, Evergreens are almost the only trees that grow.
SAT33V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
During Autumn in Appalachia, you find beauty like this along ‘most any trail you hike.
I hiked Russell Field Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park when I discovered this treasure trove of color.
SAT32H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Mountain ranges seen from the Appalachian National Scenic Trail at a natural clearing called Beauty Spot, near Erwin TN.
SAT31H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
One of our greatest Appalachian treasures is the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
I hiked north on the AT between Mount Cammerer and Lower Mount Cammerer trails when I climbed a rock outcropping to capture this image.
SAT30H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
This is the view of French Broad River and Appalachian Mountains from Lover’s Leap above the quaint NC town of Hot Springs.
AT thru hikers who begin at Springer Mountain hike 273 miles to reach Lover’s Leap. Starting from Hot Springs, you can hike a steep but rewarding one-mile stretch of the AT, using switchbacks, to enjoy the view from Lover’s Leap.
SAT29V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
This three-legged Toadstool stood proudly beside the Appalachian National Scenic Trail between Jones Meadow and Allen Gap in North Carolina.
SAT28H Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
This mountain view is from a grassy bald in the Roan Highlands, a picturesque area shared by Tennessee and North Carolina.
You can enjoy similar views by hiking a few miles along the Appalachian Trail north from Carver’s Gap.
SAT27H Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Have you heard Aaron Copland’s composition Appalachian Spring? I highly recommend it.
This view from Max Patch on a Spring day reminded me of Copland’s masterpiece. His music and the mountains of Western North Carolina deserve our attention again and again.
SAT26V Copyright 2023 Steven L Madden
Creeks, streams, tributaries and rivers are a marvelous, vital part of God’s creation. As a hiker, my favorites are streams that rush over boulders and sing their peaceful, perpetual song.
This drop in the bucket of the Tennessee River is a nautical mile from the confluence of the Holston and French Broad Rivers.
It boggles my mind to consider how many Appalachian streams drain into these three rivers!
SAT24V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
Our beloved Smoky Mountains, in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, are always amazing.
The Smokies were particularly beautiful on this January day in 2022.
SAT25H Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
Ephemerals like Squirrel Corn announce the welcome arrival of Spring in Appalachia.
My long list of beloved ephemerals includes Bloodroot, Dutchman’s Breeches, Hepatica, Jack In The Pulpit, Showy Orchis, Spring Beauty and Trout Lily.
Which Appalachian wildflowers do you treasure most?
SAT23V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, commonly called the Appalachian Trail or AT, is truly a national treasure.
It measures 2200 miles of mountains and valleys from Maine to Georgia. This summer evening view of the AT was within the Roan Highlands near Roan Mountain Tennessee.
SAT22V Copyright 2022 Steven L Madden
Gray’s Lily is a rare plant endemic to the Southern Appalachian highlands of North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.
I saw these and a few more Gray’s Lily specimens while hiking with Russ on Father’s Day at Roan Mountain near Carver’s Gap.
SAT01H
Copyright 2016 Steven L Madden
This is one of countless vistas I have encountered in our Appalachian Mountains.
I saw this breathtaking view while hiking a section of Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
SAT02V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
Experiencing Falls Branch Falls in Cherokee National Forest was well worth the 2.5 mile hike and 18-mile drive along Cherohala Skyway to West Rattlesnake trailhead.
SAT03H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Surrounded by a working ranch, Hemphill Bald is on the eastern border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
SAT04V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
I joined Russ and his teenage daughter for a hike along Twin Creeks Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Thankfully, Russ knew to look for this hidden treasure known as The Fairy House.
SAT05V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Flame Azalea blooms were at peak when Carla and I visited North Carolina’s Grandfather Mountain State Park in June.
SAT06H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
This was my morning view from “Altitude Adjustment” cabin in Vilas, near Boone, North Carolina. While at the cabin I wrote an essay called Grandfather Mountain Speaks.
SAT07H Copyright 2018 Steven L Madden
There’s a fungus among us!
Actually, there are gazillions! Some scientists estimate there are one to five million fungus varieties on planet Earth.
Whatever its variety, I appreciated this fungus specimen.
SAT08V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
Colors were vibrant when I hiked Miry Ridge and Panther Creek trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park late October.
GSMNP is our nation’s most visited national park. Mine too.
SAT09H Copyright 2016 Steven L Madden
This majestic view is from Andrews Bald in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
I was 24 miles into my day hike when I captured this image around 9:30pm. I needed a headlamp to walk the remaining two miles to my car at Clingman’s Dome.
SAT10H Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
This is a “Golden Hour” image taken from Clingman’s Dome parking area after I completed a tremendous day of hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
SAT11H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Fall colors were magnificent above Margarette Falls in Cherokee National Forest near Greeneville, Tennessee.
I captured this photograph from Bullen Hollow Trail. At bottom is Cathedral Rock.
SAT12V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
This Alex Haley statue sits in Haley Heritage Square in Morningside Park in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The famous author of Roots lived his last years on his farm in (then) Norris, Tennessee, near Museum of Appalachia.
SAT13V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
I enjoy learning common names of plants native to Appalachia.
I believe these are Christmas Ferns, along with an Arrowhead Plant.
SAT14V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Mountain Laurel shrubs produce exquisitely beautiful blooms.
I saw this lovely Laurel while hiking Lumber Ridge Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
SAT15V Copyright 2021 Steve L Madden
Fringed Polygala plants are commonly called Gaywings.
Their blooms were on display the April day I hiked Hannah Mountain and Hatcher Mountain trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
SAT16H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Wild Phlox in its natural setting is a masterwork unrivaled by humans.
I saw these beautiful flowers in White Oak Sinks in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Townsend, Tennessee.
SAT17H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
This is a sample of White Fringed Phacelia that carpeted both sides of Goshen Prong Trail one mid-April day.
I encountered a wildflower paradise in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that day.
SAT18V Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
A cluster of Hepatica nestled among a plethora of wildflowers along River Bluff Trail in March.
A National Recreation Trail, River Bluff is on Tennessee Valley Authority property near Rocky Top, Tennessee.
SAT19H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Spring is a supreme time to visit Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
Blooming shrubs, trees and ground plants affected me more than Biltmore Mansion and Winery.
SAT20H Copyright 2021 Steven L Madden
Among other structures, historic churches welcome visitors who drive Cades Cove Loop Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Inside this church a young man played his guitar and sang hymns. I cherish the experience.
SAT21V Copyright 2020 Steven L Madden
These towering trees are among the thousands preserved at Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in Graham County, North Carolina.
Treasures indeed!