No Azaleas (Go In Early Spring!)
By Blaze on 6/4/2013
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Distance: 1.10 Miles Duration: 38 minutes
The Wild Azalea Canyons is located in a fairly remote area with not much else nearby to see or do. You have to go out of your way and make a point to get there.
Finding it is a bit challenging since you have to take a few dirt roads back into the woods. You can find the driving directions here. There is no sign or kiosk saying "Wild Azalea Canyons" when you arrive. There is only a corporate sign at a make-shift parking area.
The trail takes you down some stairs into the canyon. Soon, thereafter, things got a little tricky. The trail was so overgrown and poorly marked, I got lost several times. There are numbered markers placed at various points, but I missed several of them and ran into others by sheer accident. At many points, I was bushwhacking cross-country, constantly vigilant of snakes.
After enduring this whole ordeal, I did not see a single azalea. Not even one late bloomer. :(
If I had to do this hike again, I would recommend two things:
1. There is a small window of time in the early Spring to see them, so if you are going to go, the best time is during mid-March through early April.
2. If you have a GPS, load in the coordinates of the numbered signs to help you navigate from point to point. You can find the coordinates and crude trail map here.