Fern Garden Trail

Description

Both entrances to the trail are remote and begin on Living Stairway Trail. This route offers hikers the opportunity to explore the variations of plant communities and habitats that lie within the park. Most hikers begin the trail from at the metal stairway on Living Stairway Trail. Descending the stairs delivers hikers into a lush, ravine forest of hemlock, tulip poplar, and rhododendron. The Fern Garden itself is located near the halfway point of the trail and represents a unique, moist, herbaceous habitat favoring the growth of cinnamon ferns, royal ferns, and Sweetgum trees. In particularly wet years, the cinnamon ferns will sometimes grow to a height of three of four feet. Elevation change of 300 feet and marked with light blue blazes.