Great Smoky Mountains Fall Foliage Update - November 13, 2007

November 12-13, 2007 Courtesy of Steve Kemp, Tom Harrington and the Great Smoky Mountains Association

Fall colors are now near or at peak at the lower elevations of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And they are impressive. Oak trees are showing amazing staying power and their color show may persist through Thanksgiving weekend. At the higher elevations (above 3,500’), colors are now past peak in most areas.

Good places to see fall color include: Newfound Gap Road, Little River Road, Foothills Parkway, and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Suggested hikes: Oconaluftee River Trail, Cucumber Gap Loop, Kephart Prong Trail, Old Sugarlands Road Trail, and Sutton Ridge Overlook.

Rabbit Creek (from Cades Cove to Hannah Mountain Trail) - Scattered areas with really beautiful fall foliage, especially on ridge tops and in washes.Hannah Mountain (From Rabbit Creek Trail to Abrams Falls Trail) - Pockets of foliage with nice colors.Abrams Falls (Beginning to End) - Little foliage with nice colors.

Suggested hikes: Oconaluftee River Trail, Cucumber Gap Loop, Kephart Prong Trail, Old Sugarlands Road Trail, and Sutton Ridge Overlook. Rich Mountain Loop, Chestnut Top Trail, Smokemont Loop, Kanati Fork, and Sutton Ridge Overlook (Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail).

Click Here for Basic Fall Color Information
Click Here for Fall Drives
Click Here for Fall Hikes
GSMNP Fall Hikes & Drives

The Hunt for Red October - Great Smoky Mountains Fall Foliage Update - 10/26/07

October 26, 2007 Courtesy of Terry Maddox, Julee (Crow’s Nest) Brown, and Steve Kemp and the Great Smoky Mountains Association

Colors are at or near peak from 3,000’-5,500’ and are very impressive. Reds are more pronounced now than in recent years, especially on the North Carolina side of the park.

Colors at the very highest elevations (above 5,500’)
are now past peak in some areas.

Good places to see fall color include: Newfound Gap Road from Alum Cave Trailhead to Kephart Prong Trailhead, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Foothills Parkway East & West, and Heintooga Ridge Road to Balsam Mountain Campground. Suggested hikes: Thomas Divide Trail, Alum Cave Bluff Trail, Chimney Tops Trail, Sweat Heifer Trail, Gregory Bald Trail, and Mt. Cammerer.

At the lower elevations, fall colors are quickly developing. Black gum, dogwood, sumacs, and sourwood trees continue to show vivid reds. Golds are present on tuliptree, black walnut, birch, beech, spicebush, and hickories. The peak of color at the lower elevations is still a few days away and will probably spill over into November.

Suggested hikes: Rich Mountain Loop, Chestnut Top Trail, Smokemont Loop, Kanati Fork, and Sutton Ridge Overlook (Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail).

Click Here for Basic Fall Color Information
Click Here for Fall Drives
Click Here for Fall Hikes
GSMNP Fall Hikes & Drives

Roaring Fork Motor Trail - Jewel of the Smokies!

The Roaring Fork area is a favorite side trip for many people who frequently visit the Smokies. It offers rushing mountain streams, glimpses of old-growth forest, and a number of well-preserved log cabins, grist mills, and other historic buildings. If you have time to make only one trip into the park from Gatlinburg, this should be the one.

To access Roaring Fork, turn off the main parkway in Gatlinburg, TN., at traffic light #8 and follow Historic Nature Trail to the Cherokee Orchard entrance to the national park. The Noah “Bud” Ogle self-guiding nature trail provides a walking tour of an authentic mountain farmstead and surrounding hardwood forest. Highlights include a streamside tubmill and the Ogle’s handcrafted wooden flume plumbing system.

Just beyond the Rainbow Falls trailhead you have the option of taking the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. This narrow, but paved, road twists and turns for six miles beside rich forests, waterfalls, and mountain streams. Buses, trailers, and motor homes are not permitted on the motor nature trail. An inexpensive booklet available at the beginning of the motor nature trail details landmarks along the route.

“Roaring Fork” is the name of the stream which the road roughly parallels. It is one of the larger and faster flowing mountain streams in the park. Drive this road after a hard rain and the inspiration behind the name will be apparent. Several homes and other buildings have been preserved in this area. And a “wet weather” waterfall called Place of a Thousand Drips provides a splendid finale to your journey.

Roaring Fork Nature Trail terminates at Roaring Fork Rd., which is only a quarter mile from the Bear's Den front door!

Blog Photos by Brian J. Davis

Roaring Forks Nature Trail - The Jewel of The Smokies by Chuck Wickham

Gatlinburg , Bear's Den