All wildflowers in Cades Cove are protected by law and may be admired and photographed, not picked or dug.

In the month of May, parts of the Ace Gap trail are strewn with pink Lady’s Slippers. It is about five and a half miles in length, without much altitude gain or loss. The Ace Gap hike is one of the most peaceful trails that Cades Cove has to offer. Park at the back of the field where there are signs and a marvelous wooden bridge that mark the beginning of the hike. To get to the Abrams Falls trailhead, go five miles on the Cades Cove Loop Road and after crossing Abrams Creek, turn right on a gravel road which runs through a grassy field. The total hike is five miles in length (roundtrip) and climbs approximately three hundred and forty feet up the mountains of Cades Cove. On the Abrams Falls trail, the Smokies visitors gets to enjoy the majesty of the Smoky Mountains, rhododendron lined footpaths, as well as the twenty-foot Abrams Falls. The walk to Abrams Falls trail is definitely well worth the effort up and down the ridges as attested by the trails popularity–nearly 1000 visitors per day in peak season. Though the hike to the falls is relatively short, for most Smokies Visitors the hike is challenging but rewarding. The hiking trail weaves up and down, back and forth along the ridges surrounding that end of Cades Cove. The waters at the destination of this hike, Abrams Falls, make an interesting 20-foot drop to the pool and stream below. The Abrams Falls hike begins at a field at stop number ten on the Cades Cove loop. For a list of hiking trails, visit Day Hikers Checklist

Cades cove waterfall