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Fall Color Update
November 17, 2008 Courtesy of Steve Kemp
Surprisingly, some nice spots of fall color linger at the lowest elevations. Scattered oaks are showing bright reds and golds. This is in nice contrast to the over six inches of snow that fell on the higher peaks over the weekend.
Enjoy the last bit of fall color in Karen Key's mid-November photo below.
Photos by Karen Key
November 10, 2008 Courtesy of Steve Kemp
Excellent colors persist at the lower elevations. Oaks, maples, and dogwoods are showing bright reds and golds. Little River Road and Cades Cove are very dramatic. Suggested trails include Deep Creek, Old Settlers, Little River, Abrams Creek, and Lakeshore.
November 3 Courtesy of Tom Harrington
Ace Gap (Beginning to End)
Wildflowers - A couple of Mountain Gentians.
Fall Foliage - Excellent displays of brilliant colored foliage. Foliage is at peak in this area. A great trail for leaf viewing for the first couple of miles from Rich Mountain Road.
November 3 Courtesy of Steve Kemp
Colors are now at peak in the park. If you have been waiting for the best colors, wait no longer. The peak of colors is likely to continue through the weekend as oaks and maples at the lower and mid elevations continue to turn.
October 27 Courtesy of Tom Harrington
Little River Trail (Begnning to Rough Creek Trail)
Wildflowers - very few flowers.
Fall Foliage - first 2 miles nice but not outstanding (good number of yellows - few reds).
Rough Creek (Beginning to End)
Wildflowers - very few Filmy Anglica and Whitewood Asters.
Fall Foliage - fair number of yellow (mostly faded/pale) and a few scattered reds (first mile from Little River Trail) - rest of trail rather drab.
Sugarland Mountain (From Rough Creek to Huskey Gap)
Wildflowers - very few Mountain Gentian.
Fall Foliage - higher elevation some pale yellow foliage and a little red foliage - first mile up from Huskey Gap really nice foliage (Blueberries, Sourwood, Red Oak, Sugar Maples outstanding). Views of washes between the ridges are showing nice colors.
Huskey Gap (Huskey Gap to Little River Trail)
Wildflowers very few flowers in bloom.
Fall Foliage - first mile from Huskey Gap breathtaking - very beautiful. Rest of the trail is nice.
Cucumber Gap (Beginning to End)
Wildflowers - very few Whitewood Asters.
Fall Foliage - pale yellow, brilliant red, and orange foliage showing.
Note: Behind the Elkmont Cabins on Jakes Creek the ridge is covered with brilliant red, pink, or orange foliage especially at the end of the road.
Little River Road - Foliage appears at peak. Some of the most brilliant red, orange, and pink foliage I have seen in years. In my opinion it would give New England a run for it's money. Breath-taking.
October 27 Courtesy of Steve Kemp
The higher elevations (above 4,000’) of the Great Smoky Mountains are now at peak color. At the lower elevations, birches, sourwood, magnolias, spicebush, and other trees and shrubs are showing good color. Most of the oaks and maples have yet to turn, so the peak of color at the dramatic low and mid elevations is likely to occur in early November.
October 20 Courtesy of Steve Kemp
As you can see from our web cams and video blog, fall colors are peaking at the higher elevations right now. There are also some impressive colors down low.
Many of the early-turning, lower elevation trees are at peak—tuliptrees, blackgum, sourwood, and black walnut. Yet many of the oaks and maples are mainly green, so it will be another week before colors peak at the lower and mid elevations.
With lots of cool, sunny weather in the forecast, it could be an outstanding year!
Little River Photo by Mari Bland
October 15 Courtesy of Steve Kemp
As you can see from our web cams and video blog, fall colors are peaking at the higher elevations right now.
Lower, many of the early-turning trees are at peak—tuliptree, blackgum, sourwood, and black walnut. Yet many of the oaks and maples are mainly green, so it will be at least another week before colors peak at the lower and mid elevations.
Andrews Bald Photo by Ann Froschauer
October 10 Courtesy of Steve Kemp
Colors from Newfound Gap and Clingmans Dome Road are spectacular. Yet some trees are still green, so the best is yet to come. Little River Road and Laurel Creek Road (to Cades Cove) have brilliant swatches of color thanks to blackgum, sourwood, black walnut, and birch trees. It looks like a banner color year is developing in the Smokies with a peak at the lower and mid elevations at least two weeks away.
October 7 Courtesy of Tom Harrington & Steve Kemp
Sourwood and blackgum trees have already turned a spectacular red this year. They are most common at drier, lower elevation sites. Little River Road and Laurel Creek Road (to Cades Cove) are good places to see them.
Witch hobble, sugar maples, and beech trees are showing excellent color at the higher elevations.
The Clingmans Dome Road and Newfound Gap Road (especially on the North Carolina side) offer fine views right now.
Basic Fall Leaf Color Change Information
Elevation profoundly affects when fall colors change in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At the higher elevations, where the climate is similar to New England’s, color displays start as early as mid-September with the turning of yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush, and pin cherry.
From October 1-15, fall colors are at their peak above 4,000 feet. To enjoy them, drive the Clingmans Dome Road, the Blue Ridge Parkway, or the Foothills Parkway (see Fall Drives below).
Fall colors usually peak at the mid and lower elevations between October 15 and November 5. This is the park’s most spectacular display as it includes such colorful trees as sugar maple, scarlet oak, sweetgum, red maple, and the hickories.
Why are fall colors so remarkable in the Smokies? One reason is the park’s amazing diversity of trees. Some 100 species of native trees live in the Smokies, and the vast majority of these are deciduous. The park also has bigger trees than elsewhere in the East. Thanks to protection as a national park, at least 16 trees and shrubs reach record size in the Smokies.
We all learned in elementary school that leaves are green because they contain chlorophyll. We probably also learned that it was Old Jack Frost who turned them gold and red in tautumn. Well, the story a changed a bit.
Those who have studied the biology of leaf colors now tell us that in the days of autumn those green pigments dwindle. They have been "masking" other pigments that have been in the leaf all along--the caratenoids which give yellow, brown, and orange, the same pigments that give carrots color.
It's a little different with the reds and purples. They belong to a group called anthocyanins, the same pigments that make apples red and grapes purple. These colors develop late in the summer in the sap of the leaf cells as sugar breaks down in bright light. The brighter the light, the more anthocyanins, and thus the brighter the reds and purples and their combinations. But Nature, in her infinite variety, doesn't let one kind of leaf have the carotenoids and another the anthocyanins. Both types can occur in the same leaf, giving a palatte of hues.
It isn't frost so much as sunny, clear, warm days, combined with a drop in temperature at night, that will produce the finest colors. And in a year when that combination occurs, there is no place better in the world to be than in Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
Fall Drive # 1
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
From the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg, turn at stoplight #8 onto Historic Nature Trail—Airport Road. Go straight at the intersection and continue into Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
A stop at the Noah “Bud” Ogle historic area provides the opportunity for a short walk on the self-guiding nature trail. A brochure introduces you to life on a mountain farm as well as some local flora and fauna.
Continue on to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a narrow, steep, but paved one-way road that winds through rich forests and offers glimpses of rollicking Roaring Fork creek. As the name implies, this road is designed for leisurely travel and enjoyment of nature. It is impassable to motor homes, buses, or trailers and is closed in winter.
Park at stop #3 and enjoy the view of fall colors and rolling mountains. A short stroll on the path to the right takes you to another viewpoint with benches that beckon you to sit a spell and enjoy the scenery.
At stop #5 you’ll have the opportunity to park and take a 2.6 mile round-trip hike through old-growth forest to Grotto Falls. This popular trail is of moderate difficulty.
A number of historic log and frame buildings can also be viewed along Roaring Fork. Of special interest is the Reagan tub mill, a tiny grist mill used for grinding corn into corn meal. The restored mill is located so close to the road you practically drive through it.
Near the end of the road, a waterfall called “Place of a Thousand Drips” can be seen on the left. During wet weather this waterfall is a remarkable sight.
The Motor Nature Trail ends in Gatlinburg. Turn left to return to downtown via U.S. 321.
Fall Drive # 2
The Blue Ridge Parkway and Balsam Mountain Road
Turn onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, which begins just north of Cherokee, NC, on U.S. 441, near the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The scenic parkway follows the crest of the mountains for 469 miles, all the way to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.
Frequent auto pullouts along the first few miles provide spectacular views of the Smoky Mountains in all their autumn finery.
After 11 miles you leave the parkway by turning left onto the road to Balsam Mountain Campground. Pullouts along this ridgetop road offer fine views as well.
Turn at the campground and park near the entrance for a 0.75 mile stroll on the Balsam Mountain Nature Trail. This is an excellent opportunity to stretch your legs and see some of the plants and animals that inhabit these mile-high environs.
A little further down Heintooga Ridge Road is Heintooga Picnic Area (closed after October 11). Even if you’re not hungry, it’s worth walking to the far end of the picnic area for the view from Heintooga Overlook.
From the picnic area, take the one-way, unpaved Balsam Mountain Road (closed November 1). The road is not recommended for large campers, buses, or trailers, but is fine for passenger cars. From this point it’s 27 miles back to Cherokee (18 miles unpaved).
Balsam Mountain Road offers intimate views of northern hardwood forest at the top, transitioning to cove and southern hardwoods toward the bottom. The road eventually leaves the park and enters the Cherokee Indian Reservation.
After 18 miles, at the road junction, turn left to return to U.S. 441 and the town of Cherokee.
Good Fall Family Hikes
LOOK ROCK TOWER: From Townsend, take U.S. 321 to the Foothills Parkway and follow this scenic road to the Look Rock tower parking area. The moderate hike to the top is 1 mile roundtrip. Spectacular views are gained from the tower.
APPALACHIAN TRAIL: Park at the large parking area at Newfound Gap. Cross the Newfound Gap Road at the cross-walk and look for the trail sign. Follow the Appalachian Trail to Indian Gap (where the trail meets the Clingmans Dome Road). It’s 3.4 miles roundtrip if you hike to Indian Gap and back.
Moderate to Strenuous Fall Color Hikes
MT. STERLING FIRETOWER: Exit I-40 and proceed to Old NC 284 between Big Creek and Cataloochee. The Mt. Sterling Ridge trailhead is approximately 7 miles from Big Creek. It’s 2.7 very steep miles from the trailhead to the fire tower and its panoramic views.
BOOGERMAN LOOP: The Caldwell Fork trailhead is just past the Cataloochee Picnic Area in Cataloochee Valley. Follow Caldwell Fork Trail to Boogerman Trail and then return to the trailhead on Caldwell Fork. The loop hike is 7.4 miles roundtrip and features old-growth forest.
ALBRIGHT GROVE: Drive U.S. 321 15.5 miles east of Gatlinburg (0.1 mile east of Yogi’s campground) and turn right on Baxter Road. Follow Baxter to the Maddron Bald trailhead. Hike Maddron Bald Trail 2.9 miles to the 0.7 mile Albright Grove Loop. Total mileage is 6.8 miles. Highlights are old-growth forest and big trees.
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