I Was One of the Few Picked to Experience Thousands of Synchronous Fireflies in the Smokies

The day came when they were going to announce the winners of the lottery to see the synchronous fireflies in the Smokies; my hopes were high as I clicked my inbox. To my surprise, I was picked! I have tried for years to get into this one-week event and now I had my ticket and I almost knocked my computer over as I did a double fist to the air in celebration. I may have been cheering (loudly) all by myself alone in the room but this had been long awaited. I called my family and we were excited to do one of the most unique things to do in Tennessee. What happened next is my journey to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will never forget. 

Before we dive headfirst into the adventure we took that night I should backtrack to explain what makes these "bugs" so special. The synchronous fireflies aren't your average lightning bug -- one week of the year they perform a mating ritual that is pure magic. They start to blink their lights and soon all of the others join in creating one of the most breathtaking displays of fireflies I have ever seen. I hope everyone will be able to experience this as we did so here are a few things you need to know about this natural phenomenon.

When are there fireflies in the Smokies?

The fireflies start to show activity around April or May and that is when experts start to predict when the firefly show will happen. It typically takes place in the last week of May or the first week of June, but many factors will come into play as to when the best time for this to take place. All you have to do is keep an eye on the synchronous firefly page and they will announce the dates as well as the dates for the lottery to open.

How do I see the fireflies in the Smokies?

Once the dates are set you will want to be ready for when they open up the lottery if you hope to see the fireflies in the Smokies. They will only allow so many people in during this one week so they choose guests by a lottery system. The reason they do this is to keep this natural phenomenon natural. With too many people it could disrupt the fireflies and we could lose this amazing experience. There is a $1 entry fee and if you are chosen then an additional $24 will be charged. I can tell you that this is difficult to get into but is well worth the years of waiting it took to get picked. 

So now that you know a little bit of the journey of what it took to get here you can see why it was so exciting for us as we rode into the ghost town of Elkmont in the Smokies for our big night. I was curious about the process so I found a ranger and asked where do you see the fireflies. She told me that they could be anywhere so we were just going to have to seek them out. That to me sounded like a wild adventure! Wander around in the dark in a ghost town in the Smokies, it was like a dream come true. We explored the area while it was still light and found what we thought would be the best spot to see the fireflies. We set up our spot and then waited for the sun to set. Soon enough we saw our first firefly.

Soon darkness kept over the forest and that was when we started to see more and more fireflies join the show. Lining the path, deep in the woods, and sometimes right in front of our faces we saw flicking green lights illuminating the blackest of night. I did my best to capture it but with such little light from the insects, it was hard for our videos and pictures to truly capture the magic of the moment. 

I was so captivated by the scene we stayed there for hours. With the fireflies in unison, the forest would ebb and flow from complete darkness to a glowing green. I spent plenty of summer nights as a kid chasing a couple of fireflies but this was entirely different as we watched thousands of them flickering that night.

The only other light we would see was the occasional red shine cutting through the darkness as someone would move down the path. Regular lights can disrupt the fireflies so you are only allowed to use red light while in Elkmont which made for an even more exciting adventure. Quick tip: if you have a kid that has light-up shoes, you might want to turn them off. Did you know they had an off switch? I didn’t before this night but we quickly learned.

We want to make the most of every adventure when we are in it so we decided to explore around for a little while just to make sure where the best spot was. So we linked hands and walked in total darkness as I led my family with a red light. Once we got to the main drag of Elkmont this is where people were parked, and since people started to leave, there were a few headlights. This was helpful to not trip on a root or unknowingly approach a bear, but it meant the fireflies stayed far away. So what we learned was the further you go from light, the better of a show you can expect. It felt good to know that we stumbled upon the best viewing spot in the park on our first try. 

If you get the chance make sure you enter the lottery to see the synchronous fireflies in the Smokies. This was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for us and I have never experienced anything like that before in my life. The park has held alot of special moments for me over the years from fireflies to hiking Alum Cave. To enter the lottery make sure you head over to the synchronous fireflies page on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Make sure to check out our Adventuring in the Moment video to see the full journey of our trip.

If you love unique adventures in the Smokies then take to the skies with Scenic Helicopter Tours!