Hoping to catch the synchronous fireflies lighting up the summer night in the Great Smoky Mountains? Here are some tips from our experience!
In June 2024, I finally got to experience something I'd been imagining for a while: the spectacle of the synchronous fireflies in the Smoky Mountains.
It was a quick trip, with only a little time for hiking in the park, but the firefly event is time-sensitive and we wanted to squeeze it in!
All fireflies are beautiful to watch, but the synchronous ones create a unique rhythm as they flash. It feels a bit like watching an orchestra of light, twinkling away in the forest.
Have you heard of this natural phenomenon and want to figure out how to catch it for yourself? Here's what we learned on our first time seeing these fireflies.
1. You Don't Have to Enter the Synchronous Fireflies Lottery
The synchronous fireflies have brought so many people to the Smokies in recent years that the park found it necessary to start regulating traffic. That's why, every spring, the park predicts peak week (late May or early June) and then opens a viewing lottery.
You pay a small fee to enter. Pick your preferred dates, and if you're chosen, you'll pay for one parking pass that grants you access to the Elkmont area of the park.
The lottery is popular, and your chances of being selected are not great. That's why, this year, I decided to try something different: taking my own best guess at "peak" and reserving a couple of nights in the campground. It turned out to be worth it.
We also heard that the locals have their own non-publicized spots for watching the fireflies, so if you get to know people in the area, it doesn't hurt to ask!
2. Reserve a Campsite Early, But Don't Panic If They Book Up
You can reserve a campsite at Elkmont Campground six months in advance. The spots vanish in seconds, but all is not lost! Just sign up to get notified when sites become available from cancellations. That's how I was able to book our site.
Rather than having to rely on the parking pass lottery, this gave us parking space at our campsite and easy access to one of the best viewing areas.
Initially, I hoped to just be able to hang out at our campsite and watch the fireflies in the surrounding woods, but that didn't give us much of a show on our first night. That brings me to my next suggestion.
3. Talk to the Rangers + Volunteers
The morning after our attempt to watch the fireflies from our campsite, I approached the rangers at the check-in area to ask where the best viewing was.
They know these forests better than anyone, so they were able to tell us right away which trailhead we should be aiming for.
Before nightfall, we headed up to the Jakes Creek/Little River area and found a park volunteer on duty. She filled us in on where to go and how long to wait, and she was spot on! If it hadn't been for her, we might have missed out. So definitely ask questions, and ask more than one person if you're unsure.
4. Be Prepared to Walk
As mentioned above, you can't necessarily catch a firefly "show" just because you're in the Smoky Mountains, or at the Elkmont Campground. And the volunteer we talked to explained that as the days go by, the fireflies tend to move a bit higher in elevation.
Fireflies like grassy areas. Though they are often near trees, they don't fly too far above the ground, so look for a place with a lot of green ground cover.
We walked for maybe half a mile and found a promising stretch of hillside to stake out.
5. Bring Red Lights
Flashlights are a big no-no in this situation. They can severely reduce the fireflies' movement and ability to respond to each other.
If you need a little help to find your way, bring a red light, or cover your flashlight with a red filter. This color is a bit less disruptive, but you should still try to keep it at low brightness and only use it when you really need it.
6. Bring Gear for a Comfortable Evening
We got ourselves settled well before dark, and knew that we were in for a somewhat long wait. So we brought camping chairs and a few snacks.
A sweater or a lap blanket is a good idea as the temperature starts to subside. Some natural mosquito repellent can also be helpful for the time around dusk.
7. Stay Later Than You Think
The volunteer at the trailhead mentioned 9:45 p.m. as the time we might start seeing the synchronous fireflies.
Thank goodness she was so specific — because we were imagining seeing them closer to sunset. Sure enough, we did see flashes here and there during the time it took to go from twilight to pitch dark. And then for a bit, nothing seemed to be happening. We considered leaving. The people just down the hill from us packed up and headed out.
But we vaguely remembered what we'd been told about the time. We waited. And right when she predicted, the forest started to light up! We also noticed a sense of rhythm that hadn't been there before. This was when the show began!
We were spellbound for the next hour or more, and could have even stayed longer.
8. Synchronous Fireflies Are Hard to Photograph
First of all, know that no image you are able to take will really capture what the experience of watching the fireflies is really like. Consider skipping photos, especially if you want to totally immerse yourself in the experience.
I wanted to try photographing them, although I wasn’t sure how it would turn out and was feeling a little unconfident about the whole thing. However, I’m happy I made the effort AND found that the fireflies went on flashing for so long that I could eventually put away the camera and enjoy the moment.
I used a Canon EOS R7 camera with a fixed 24mm lens mounted on a Peak Design tripod, and a remote camera shutter button from the camera app on my phone.
Whatever camera you use, make sure to bring a tripod, because you’ll need to use a long exposure.
You’ll have plenty of time to play with the camera settings as you wait, but I recommend testing things out before it gets dark so that it’s easier to see.
Also remember that you likely won’t have a phone signal, so get comfortable with your camera settings ahead of time since you might not be able to look up manuals while you’re there.
Autofocus likely won’t work when the fireflies are most active. I set the lens focus to manual, and used a fixed point when there was some light (at dusk) and the infinity setting when it was pitch-black out.
The photo below is a compilation of over forty images overlaid. In real time, I wasn’t sure that I was capturing anything at all, but am quite happy with how the photo turned out!
9. Missing "Peak" May Be Okay
My guess at peak firefly time turned out to be a few days later than what the park officially recognized, which meant fewer crowds. We were happy about that.
Although I'm curious to see how much more amazing this would be during peak, we really were thrilled with the experience and took home memories that we treasure.
10. The Smokies Aren't the Only Place to See Synchronous Fireflies
Although it was once thought that synchronous fireflies were incredibly rare, it's starting to look like they're just a tiny bit more widespread than that.
In the U.S., it's currently known that you can see them in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee), at Congaree National Park (South Carolina), and at Watoga State Park (West Virginia).
In fact, the West Virginia ones were only officially discovered in 2019, when the park made efforts to become dark-sky friendly.
As more areas try to manage light pollution, will other pockets of synchronous fireflies be found? Who knows!
Do you have your own synchronous firefly stories to share? Let us know in the comments.
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