Our hike went something like this:
Me: Eff this, I am never doing this again
Also Me: Damn that was fun! Let's do it again.
We arrived at the trailhead around 9am on a Sunday. We put "daffodil flats" into google maps and it took us directly to the trailhead on Old NC 105. If you're not familiar with it, Old 105 is a charmingly bumpy dirt road that adds to the feeling of adventure. As we climbed the road we were greeted with breathtaking views of the clouds. It was quite dreamy. We continued along the bumpy road and when we arrived at the trailhead there were numerous vehicles there but parking was easy on the side of the road. We gathered our packs, hiking sticks and set off. I would definitely recommend some sort of hiking stick or trekking poles and most definitely hiking boots. Although we did encounter one barefoot hiker along the way...I still can't figure that one out.
The hike down was great. It was mostly downhill with a few ups thrown into keep it interesting. Add in some rocky stream crossings, a rushing river and you've got yourself a nice hike. We encountered a few early birds who were already on the return hike but it was relatively empty on the way down the trail.
The trail flattens out and we begin to hear murmurs....we have arrived at the flats! Now, if I'm being honest, I was perfectly prepared to be underwhelmed. I mean, it's daffodils. I like daffodils and all but I was sure it had been overly hyped. I was wrong. I'm still not sure what it is about it that's so exciting but it was.....well, it was just so pretty! We sat and refueled with our bananas, peanut butter filled pretzels, and a diet coke. I thought we had come prepared until I caught a whiff of some real food...could it be a sub sandwich? Yes! Two hikers, obviously much smarter than ourselves, had thought to bring subway subs! Genius! Game on. I know what we will bring next year. And there will be a next year...Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise...did I just show my southern roots?. Despite my cursing and complaining on the way back up, I would definitely do it again.
The trip back up is no joke. It's hard. We went slow and steady and took lots of breaks. The comradery of hiker misery made it more bearable. The trail was crowded with many people heading down while we were heading up so we had to stop numerous times to let others by. The trail is quite narrow in some spots. It requires a few scrambles over rocks and there were some slippery crossing spots. It had rained quite a bit the day before we hiked so that may not always be that muddy and slick. We stopped at the overlook at Pinnacle rock on the way out an were rewarded with a beautiful view. It had been totally obscured by clouds on the way up, and that was pretty and other worldly, but it was nice to see a clear view on the way out. We made it back to the car and high tailed it to Marion for an after hike reward at Mica Town Brewery. I mean we were all but squalling tires on the way out. Definitely recommend that stop if you're in the area. There's one in Nebo as well but we did not have a chance to stop there.
We stayed at an Airbnb near Lake James State park. Definitely recommend and would be info if anyone is interested. We may do a review in the future.
A few tips in case you decide to hike the flats that ain't flat.
Take plenty of water, more than you think you'll need. We each took our refillable water bottle and 3 additional plastic bottles of water and one diet coke each. All gone at the end.
Arrive early! We got there around 9 and there were plenty of people already ahead of us and it was quite crowded on the way out with people going down. We are going to do a weekday next time.
Take food! You'll need to refuel for the hike back up.
We took MST to Leadmine there and back. It was about 7 miles total including the walk to/from where we parked.
In closing, Daffodil Flats that ain't flat, we'll see you next year. Subway subs and all.
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