Gatlinburg Trolley Winterfest City Lights Tour

The Smoky Mountains come to life every fall when Winterfest in the Smokies kicks off in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville Tennessee during which more than 8,000,000 Christmas and holiday lights blaze throughout the night.

Millions flock to the Smoky Mountains to enjoy Winterfest and one of the most popular Winterfest attractions is to see all of the holiday light displays in and around the 3 cities that light up the Smoky Mountains.

Though Winterfest lights are spread out over a large area, the city of Gatlinburg has the prettiest downtown area when it is all lit up with the Winterfest lights and it also has the greatest concentration of Holiday Lights.

Now you don't need to drive around to find the best city lights for Winterfest, you can take the environmentally friendly and comfortable alternative and pay attention to the tour and the lights instead of the traffic.

The tour has a driver who will take you on the journey in a comfortable hybrid propane vehicle and a tour guide dressed in a period or holiday costume. Depending on the traffic the whole tour will take from 45 minutes to about an hour.

After departing you will go up Baskins Road, down Airport Road, down the Parkway, around River Drive than along the Parkway and out 321 past the city limits to the furthest light displays.

The Gatlinburg Trolley Tour guide will give you some history on the Winterfest and particulars on the lights themselves such as the Winterfest Holiday lights are now made locally from environmentally friendly LED's.

You will also get lessons on local Smoky Mountains history during the Trolley Tour of lights and get facts on the Great Smoky Mountains national park, Gatlinburg, local folk lore and a little about Pigeon Forge.

While the ride is very comfortable, the scenery very pretty and the tour is humorous and informative, very young children may not enjoy the Gatlinburg Winterfest Holiday Lights Trolley.

The Gatlinburg Winterfest Holiday Lights Trolley Tour runs 3 times a night starting November 5th and ending January 31st except for December 5th, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Eve.

The Gatlinburg Winter Trolley tour departs from the main trolley station in the city of Gatlinburg under the Ripley's Aquarium near Arrowmont at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 pm.

Tickets are only $5 and they do take credit cards but they sell out fast so it's best you call ahead or stop by the transit office desk upstairs or call (865)436-0535.

Take the Gatlinburg Winterfest Holiday Lights Trolley Tour this season, you will be glad you did!

Cabins for rent in Gatlinburg Tennessee.

Shoppers flock to the Smoky Mountains for bargains in hundreds of outlet stores

Everywhere you look in Pigeon Forge Tennessee and Sevierville you see wall to wall shoppers snatching up bargains in the hundreds of outlet stores and mega stores in the Smoky Mountains.

Right after Thanksgiving shoppers are used to getting great bargains and save money on holiday shopping with deep discounts and closeouts, but this year is different.

Retail sales are sharply down across the country and stores in the Smoky Mountains looking to pick as much holiday spending money as possible out of your wallet are offering some of the deepest discounts ever seen before the Christmas holiday.

Shoppers are flocking to the Smokies which has a huge concentration of discount and outlet shopping and are now able to parley a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains into a huge shopping and savings bonanza now that these stores are slashing already discounted pricing.

Where are the best bargains? Just head up to the end of 66 near I-40 and just wok your way south and all the way down through the thousands of retail stores up and down the parkway in Pigeon Forge. Don't forget on your Smoky Mountains shopping excursion to also check out the Belz outlet mall on Teaster Lane just a block off the Pigeon Forge Parkway.

Even in Gatlinburg known for its quaint more upscale shops is slashing prices. Gatlinburg is a shoppers paradise so just park your car and walk your way up and down the city.

If you are looking to puck up some folk or fine art in the Gatlinburg Artist Community haggle for an even better bargain. Store owners don't want anyone walking out their doors with empty hands.

Keep your eye out in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville Tennessee for a man in a red suit as Santa and his helpers are all over the Smokies.

There are some fantastic places to pick up some of the most amazing Christmas decorations at Applewood and the Christmas store in Pigeon Forge and in dozens of specialty shops in Gatlinburg and of course great bargains in the outlet stores.

Whether you are looking to save a little or a lot, come to the Smokies for a few days and shop till you drop. The savings will more than make up the cost of your Smoky Mountains shopping getaway.

Lights, cameras, Smoky Mountains Winterfest action!

The 19th annual Winterfest celebration in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee has kicked off and in Pigeon Forge alone more than 5,000,000 Christmas lights are creating a nighttime wonderland in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The leaves in the trees have changed into beautiful fall colors which have fallen and blanket the ground and there is now a winter nip in the air and snow on the mountain peaks - winter has come to the Great Smoky Mountains!

There are lots of Winterfest activities in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville Tennessee and sights to see. The Smokies are the prefect family friendly place to bring the whole gang to enjoy Winterfest.

Bring your cameras for the millions of lights and the Christmas displays all around town which are fantastic and of course there is so much to see and do in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

One of the ways to really appreciate Winterfest is to take the Gatlinburg Tennessee Smoky Mountains Winterfest trolley tour of holiday lights.

The Smoky Mountains in winter - you'll never run out of things to see and do!

Where to hike and bike and enjoy the last of the fall colors in the Smoky Mountains.

There is still some fall color left when hiking and biking in the Great Smoky Mountains for this years leaf season, but don't expect to last past the weekend.

Right now the best place to bike to see fall colors in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is also a place that you can hike as well.

The Foothills Parkway West has an incomplete section that hikers and bikers can use for as much as 9 miles in. This section can be found right across from the open section of Foothills Parkway West from just past Townsend at Walland to US 129.

Once you start hiking in you will see what should have been the Foothill Parkway sign now missing but there is plenty of light and dark yellows all around even though it rained earlier today and knocked many of the leaves down.

The whole 9 miles in is all paved and is perfect for biking and hiking and you can even bring a leashed dog is you wish. Since it is paved it has a moderate grade and most of what you will be hiking or biking going in will be uphill.

Though there is color left along the sides of this hiking area, most of the color is out in the mountains across from you and in the valleys.

About 1 mile in on the right there is the first pull off with a small grass island and a hill. There was lots of fog and clouds today but on a clear day walk up the island for an even more birds eye view.

Beneath you is 321 and as you can see by the picture above the fall colors in the trees in the mountains across from you are still bright and vibrant with autumn leaves showing reds, oranges, yellows, green and some browns and tans.

Some of the weeds and shorter plants are also giving of some nice color and they add to the whole autumn feel. There are also still a few wild flowers still blooming here but it's the autumn leaves that give off the best show right now.

The weather here in the Smokies is expected to have some rain and possible snow so if you decide to hike or bike on this trail make sure to bring enough layers and rain gear to stay dry.

Today there was too much fog for any good long shots and there weren't the usual blue skies we have had the past few weeks all throughout our peak leaf season.

Try to come out and enjoy the fall colors now as they won't be around for more than a few more days in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Update: The incomplete section of the Foothills Parkway is closed right now due to ongoing construction.

Smoky Mountains fall colors and wildflowers: Cove Mountain Trail

The recent light rain may have washed down many of the colorful fall leaves but there are still plenty of fall colors to be found right next to Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

One of the lesser traveled hiking trails in the Great Smoky Mountains national park that is very close to the city of Gatlinburg is a perfect place right now to see fall colors, long vistas and even a few wildflowers that are still left blooming.

The beginning of the Cove Mountains Hiking trail is less than 2 minutes from downtown Gatlinburg and is right behind the national park headquarters. The trail passes by Cataract Falls which is generally a trickle this time of year. After you are past the falls you will run into few people if any.

If you were to hike the entire length of this trail it would almost be an 18 mile round trip, but there is no need to hike that far. Hiking just an hour or so in you will pass by pretty views, streams, plenty of fall colors and the best wildflowers still left blooming on the national park.

The majority of the steepest hiking will be within the first half hour on this trail. The trail is very smooth and usually bone dry so you can hike comfortably with just sneakers.

On this trail you will still find yellow and crimson red fall leaves on the trees. There is also plenty of color on the bushes, small plants and young trees along the forest floor.

While usually by this time of the year there are few if any flowers blooming, this trail has more than any other trail we had checked for weeks.

There are a variety of small wildflowers still blooming and the color pallet ranges from pure white to yellows and light and deep purples. All of the wildflowers in the photo montage below were photographed from the Cove Mountains hiking trail yesterday.

While same of these wildflowers are far past their peak, there are still blooming and giving some additional color other than just the fall leaves to the mountains and forest floor.

You can look at the wildflowers in the National Park but you must remember not to pick them or remove plants or even seeds. Plants, animals and even rocks are protected within the boundaries of the national park.

While same of these wildflowers are far past their peak, there are still blooming and giving some additional color than just the fall leaves to the mountains and forest floor.

Speaking of seeds, by this time of the year many of the wildflowers have turned into seeds. Even in their simplicity there is great beauty so be sure to take your time and take in all the fall beauty of the park.

The seed head above was about half the size of a dime and was in some moss along the side of the trail about and hour and a half up. Looking up from this point you will see giant red leaves hanging from a flame oak tree.

Once you get out of the hollows, the hiking trail follows a ridgeline which often looks out at the mountains across the valley. The light was fading fast when more clouds came in you could see the yellow still popping out in the valleys where more of what's left of the fall colors are.

What's unusual about this hiking trail and unlike most other hiking trails within the Great Smoky Mountains national park is that this trail passes close by some homes and cabins so if you smell smoke it may be a fireplace not a wildfire.

You won't have to hike long to enjoy the fall colors on Cove Mountains but you will enjoy all the time you spend on this wonder fall hike.

The Cove Mountain Hiking Trail is just minutes from dozens of Smoky Mountains cabins for rent by American Mountain Rentals.

Fall Smoky Mountains hiking color report: Husky Gap Trail

Bright yellow fall colors and more can be found still in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and if you want to go for a hike there are only a few hiking trails with good fall colors left and Husky Gap is one of the best trails left.

The Husky Gap trailhead is right on Newfound Gap Road across from the quiet walkway parking area 3.2 miles in from Gatlinburg Tennessee. This area of Newfound Gap Road has the best color in the whole national park.

This trail goes for about 2 miles up before it meets with 2 other trails and if you take Husky Gap to the end it goes down to Little River in Elkmont. Since it gains in elevation it will take you through various environments which will vary in color intensity.

Since the trail starts out by the most major road in the park for the fist few minutes you will hear the traffic on Newfound Gap, but it won't take long before you will see the fall colors you came to the Smokies to see.

You will pass by a creek that runs down the side of a hollow and onto the trail but the crossing is usually dry. There are some large tulip trees here that have already turned yellow for autumn and some of the trees are already a golden brown.

You can tell there were homesteads here by how flat the land is below the trail and you can even see a stone fence unfolding beneath you.

The trail is littered with many colorful leaves here, reds, oranges and lots and lots of shades of yellow and light greens. The leaves on the trail floor swiftly change color to brown but are rapidly replenished with new colorful leaves.

Some of the large yellow leaves you will see with brown spots are on vines that reach way up into the tallest trees here in the forest are grape leaves. The deeper you go on the trail the more wild grapes you will find.

While the grapes don't really have much fruit to them, they do make up part of the diet for the forest critters here each fall. You may still see some bunches of grapes on the trail floor.

One of the critters in the Great Smoky Mountains national park who loves the grapes is our resident black bear. The hike I just did to make this report I came across to adult bear and 2 cubs from this year.

As you see in the picture one of the cubs scurried up the tree. Even though he was more than 100 feet away, he was too close for comfort. If you see a bear as I did, make noise and don't run away but keep your distance. If they don't move away go back away from them.

Further in you start to get views of Gatlinburg and Mount Le Conte through the trees. The more the leaves fall down, the better you will get a view of the mountains.

The picture below shows the golds, yellows, reds and greens that can be seen through the forest canopy to the mountain on the other side. Though the color is very intense it should still last for the rest of the week.

Further into the trail you find and area with giant rock rubble with mosses and ferns on the left and an area of smaller and medium size hemlocks that are all green.

Keep going and you will go through an area where the grapes have dropped all their leaves and there are brown leaves and skeleton vines reaching up the canopy.

Eventually the colors turn more to reddish browns and tans as you get close to the trail junction. By the time you reach the junction most of the color is gone but if you decide to go further it is a nice hike but there are really no more great fall colors.

On the way back be sure to keep looking out and you will notice through the trees a side view of Mt Le Conte with its distinctive 3 peaks.

Husky gap is a great trail year round and perfect right now to see the fall colors!

The Husky Gap Trail is less than 30 minutes from all of Gatlinburgs best cabin rentals.

Hiking trails fall color report for the Smoky Mountains: Lewellyn Cove Nature Walk

The fall leaves are falling fast but there are a few great hiking trails where you can still find great color in the Smoky Mountains. The Lewellyn Cove Nature Walk in the Nantahala National Forest on NC 28 is one of the best hiking trails with fall color right now.

Though not in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the Lewellyn Cove Nature Trail is right across from the national most beloved national park.

This is a beautiful trail that most anyone can enjoy as it is very moderate and considered by many to be very easy. This is a very short loop trail of about 3/4 of a mile but can be extended if you wish.

Before even entering the hiking trail the parking lot still has some color and you are greeted by yellow trees draped over the start of the hiking trail with logs forming easy to navigate steps up the hill.

For the first few minutes you will hear some road noise of noisy motorcycles ride on the Tail of the Dragon but the road noise quickly fades to the sounds of a rushing river below.

You will find this an enjoyable hiking trail to take children along on as not only is it pretty it will not be exhausting for most energetic children. Unlike hiking trails in the Great Smoky Mountains national park you can take along a well behaved leashed dog on this trail.

From the very start of the trail not only is the scenery pretty with abundant plant life, there are numerous signs describing the trees and bushes making this an educational hike as well.

After a few switchbacks the fall colors start to really ramp up with explosions of reds, oranges, yellows and light greens. The trees are beautiful and by now the only sounds you will hear are your feet crunching on the leaves, the wind in the trees and the sound of water below.

If you are having such a good time enjoying the peace and quiet of the Smoky Mountains and the best fall color in the Smokies you can take one of the forks on the left of the trail to Appalachian Trail and the Yellow Creek Mountain Trail.

When you make your way to the stream, ahead of you there is a small connecting 1 mile hiking trail that will take you to Lewellyn Cove to Fontana Village.

This is a great trail to enjoy the fall colors and is suitable for most everyone and a very pleasant drive from all the shopping, resturants and cabin rentals in Pigeon Forge Tennessee.

Fall colors Smoky Mountains road tour: Tail of the Dragon

There are many great roads to tour the Smokies in the fall but none have as unique a character or such stunning views as the south end of the Great Smoky Mountains national park where you can ride on US 129 - the famous Tail of the Dragon.

What makes this auto tour to see the fall colors in the Smoky Mountains so special? How about 318 curves in only 11 miles of deeply wooded areas or where you are looking out over stunning water and mountain scenery!

Even though we are way past peak fall colors in most of North Carolina there is still some great color to be found along the Tail of the Dragon and all of the vistas this stunning winding road looks out on.

Though the Tail of the Dragon is heavily traveled in the spring, summer and early fall, by now most of the riders are gone and you can find stretches of this magnificent road to enjoy the fall colors and the thrill of driving the Dragon all to yourself.

This road is challenging to driver so you will find motorcycle riders and drivers of high performance cars from around the country who come here. Do not exceed the speed limit ask the road is unsafe at high speed and there is heavy speed enforcement on the Tail of the Dragon.

This road is open year round but can get very rough in snow and ice and if there has been a recent storm and you are one of the first on this road take your time in case there are any downed trees or branches.

One of the best ways to get to the Tail of the Dragon from Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg or Sevierville is to take the Foothills Parkway west until it hits US 129 and then turn left.

Right away the scenery is amazing with sheer rock faces and woods on the left and water on the right.

One of the first big pulls off on one side looks down to water, mountains and a dam pictured above and on the other side you have the mountains of the Great Smoky Mountains national park aflame in reds and oranges contrasting with deep green color.

Further on down the road enjoy all the fall colors while you follow the signs to the Fontana dam. Though the visitor center at the Fontana dam is closed this is a great detour off the main road to check out the fall colors and one of a kind Smoky Mountains views.

At the Fontana dam you will find a picnic area, overlooks, parking areas and at the other end of the dam a trail head for the Appalachian Trail and another hiking trail that will take you deep into the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

The Fontana dam is the largest dams east of the Mississippi and Harrison Ford made his famous jump here in the movie The Fugitive. In the movie the railroad derailment took place here too!

The picture above was just taken at the dam and it shows how low the water is in Lake Fontana but also how much color is still in the mountains.

Get back on the road and head toward Bryson City NC so you can loop back to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge through the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Now that the Tennessee River is to the left of you make sure to check out all of the pull offs to the left for some more stunning fall mountains and river views such as the picture above.

This is still plenty of color in the woods along the roadway and when the road turns into agricultural areas and even rural residential the colors and the scenery is still very nice.

To continue the large loop on the best fall colors motor drive follow the signs to the National Park and take Newfound Gap Road back to Gatlinburg where you will still find beautiful fall colors once you are just past the Chimneys Trailhead parking area.

Big Creek hiking trail: best fall colors for November

The Smoky Mountains are one of the best places to go hiking and what could be better than hiking and seeing the best fall colors? Right now the Big Creek Hiking Trail is one of the last hiking trails to have great fall colors.

The Big Creek Hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is very popular year round especially in the summer. Big Creek is less than an hour away from Pigeon Forge and even closer to Gatlinburg Tennessee and it offers regular and horse camping, a pretty picnic area near a river with beautiful water worn huge boulders.

The most popular hiking trail in Big Creek is the Big Creek Trail which is a very wide trail that was originally a railroad bed and logging road so it is although it climbs continuously in elevation the deeper you go in, the elevation gain is very gradual and the trail is very easy.

The fall colors start very early on the trail and can be seen on both the left hand side of the trail in the valley alongside the river that the trail follows and up the mountainside on the right among the huge boulder and rock faced cliffs.

Here you will find along the trail and up the mountainside there are tall trees that have bright yellows, gold and various shades of reds and still come purple wild flower in the aster family and ground cover and low under story plants in various fall colors.

Once you have gone in about a mile and a half the fall colors do decrease but they or more golden and the hiking trail is ankle deep in colorful fall leaves. Even though there is less colors there is still good reason to keep hiking on this trail even if you don't want to hike the full 5 miles in.

The first stop off to make on the Big Creek hiking trail is the Midnight Hole swimming pool by the Midnight Hole waterfall. 2 years of drought have lowered the water levels of the rivers and creeks in the Smokies and Midnight Hole is no exception.

In the summer midnight hole is filled with people swimming, floating on the water or diving off the large boulders across the stream. Even in the summer the water is very cool and now in the fall no one would dare swim here in the fall.

Since there are no swimmers here, this is a great spot to sit on one of the rocks and watch the colorful fall leaves floating in the water. There are a few colorful trees here but midnight hole is mostly surrounded by evergreens who keep their deep green leaves year round.

Just slightly after the 2 mile mark on the left hand side you will see a well worn path around some trees and rhododendrons and here you will look out over the river and across from you is Mouse Creek Falls one of the prettiest waterfalls in the entire Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Mouse Creek Falls is surrounded by evergreens so year round it looks very similar. Of course in winter there are touches of snow and ice sometimes and in the spring there are a few wildflowers blooming near by, but most flowers are closer to the trail.

Mouse Creek is a tributary of Big Creek and is usually never dry. The waterfalls have an upper and a lower falls with a total drop of more than 50 feet before it reaches Big Creek below.

The next stop you are going to make will not be for the fall colors which are still showing yellows and golds at this point on the trail.

This is something very special that you will near hear about or read in any of the guides for the Smoky Mountains. There is a huge rock on the right hand side of the trail further up the trail pictured here that acts like a giant amplifier.

If you stand by this rock you will hear how amplified the sound of Big Creek is. Try having one of your friend make noise further away and if you find the sweet spot you will hear it amplified here.

I don't know if this rock broke naturally as many of the boulders along this trail have or if this one of the boulders blasted with dynamite by the railroad or the Civilian Conservation Corp when they built this trail.

It worth going up the few more tenths of a mile past what I call Listen Rock to the big bridge that crosses Big Creek to at least take a picture.

On the right there is still fall color here now with some bright splashes of red. At this point in the trail there are far fewer leaves in the trees and even the ground cover has lost most of its color.

This is still a fantastic trail to hike further up on (keep your eyes open for the bricks in the trail) but if you have come to see the best fall colors on a hiking trail in the Smoky Mountains you have already seen them.

Big Creek: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

November Smoky Mountains fall colors auto drive: Foothills Parkway East

Great pockets of fall colors and outstanding views of the Great Smoky Mountains can still be found in the Smokies. One of the best roads to see the fall colors right now by car, motorcycle or bicycle is the Foothills Parkway East.

All of the sections of Foothill Parkways are next to, in or overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains national park and are beautifully maintained by the national park service.

The Foothills Parkway East Connects I-40 with US 321 by Cosby Tennessee and is the best way to get from I-40 to Gatlinburg. This small stretch of road climbs steadily to a crest and then winds its way back down to the valley below.

The Foothills Parkway right now has fantastic color along the roadside with brilliant yellow maples leaves just turning into reds and peaches, oranges, and reds from brilliant light rose to deep burgundy.

You can also see plenty of green around the roadside from the yellow pines, Rhododendron and mountain laurel bushes, trees that haven't changed and grasses and undergrowth.

The pull off on the north side of the Foothills Parkway looks out to mountains, farms, rolling grass fields and the city of Newport in the distance. There is some color in the vista but the best fall color right here is in the tunnel of trees leading to and from this pull off and across the road.

The other 2 large pull offs on the Foothills Parkway East have the best color and the best Smoky Mountains view.

The best time to catch the views and see the fall colors when they are most vibrant on these pull offs is late in the afternoon as the last hour of sun is amazing and you can see how the light comes down in horizontal shafts and the colors in the leaves pop out. Sunrise is fantastic too.

The Foothill Parkway East is the best road to see the fall colors if you are going from Tennessee to areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park such as Cataloochee or Big Creek or going to Maggie Valley or Max Patch.

The Foothills Parkway East is less than an hour from most of the best cabin rentals in the Smokies.

Best fall drives to see the fall colors in the Smokies: Foothills Parkway

As each day passes the best fall colors are in smaller and smaller pockets such as the Foothills Parkway west starting just outside of Townsend on 321 which ends at US 129 which becomes the famous Tail of the Dragon.

Right now the best fall colors and long vistas of color in the Great Smoky Mountains are found on the Foothills parkway. This 14 mile stretch of beautiful roadway has little traffic, stunning overlooks and a short hiking trail with a stunning view.

This is one of the few places that is under national park control that you can look out at a spectacular long range vista of cities and towns all the way out past Knoxville.

The picture above was taken yesterday of one of the long vistas looking out over Maryville and beyond. There are 3 great pull offs on the right hand side of the Foothills parkway that all have spectacular views - stunning at night too!

The fall colors along the Foothills Parkway vary from bright glowing yellows to deeper gold and tans along with bright and deep reds. Some of the flame oaks are now showing off crimson red and deep maroons in pockets and slowly tuning brown.

Watch as you drive by the colorful fall leaves on the side of the road or there is a stiff wind and the leaves flutter like snowflakes. Take advantage of the pulls off to the right that look out over the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

At about 9.5 miles in there is a large pull off with an observation area near the parking lot as well as the trail head for the Look Rock observation tower.

The tower is little more than a 1/2 mile in on a small paved easy hiking trail that takes you through wooded area. Most of the leaves here on the nature trail have fallen but there is still color to be found.

The forest floor here has some pretty large builders and old rotting logs covered in dark green moss with light green lichen. These look beautiful against the browns, tans and yellows of the leaves on the forest floor.

Before you reach the Look Rock Observation Tower you will pass by 2 buildings that are fenced off. There building contain weather and air monitoring equipment to keep track of the air quality which is increasing being assaulted by ozone mostly from coal burning power plants and automobile exhaust.

The Look Rock Tower is a modern concrete structure and you ascend 2 ramps without stairs to get to the observation area up top.

As you walk up the ramps you are ascending up into the canopy of the trees to get your birds eye view at the top. keep your eyes out for squirrels racing around and jumping from branch to branch knocking down the fall leaves.

The view at the top of Look Rock is fantastic and the mountain right across as seen in this picture was glowing with reds and maroons as well as some of the valleys.

Up here you have a 360 degree view and when the visibility is good you can see all the way out to the Cumberland Plateau and across way into the Great Smoky Mountains national park and the of the beautiful fall colors.

Less than 1/2 an hour away from all this beauty you will find more than 150 top rated cabin rentals in the Smokies.

November fall color report for the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Smokies

The Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles of exciting and beautiful twists and turns and starts at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains national park near the Cherokee North Carolina entrance and is a popular attraction for people looking for beautiful fall colors little more than an hour away from Pigeon Forge.

Though the Blue Ridge Parkway is past peak in fall colors, there are still bright reds, deep maroons, yellows, greens, oranges and many shades of tans and browns.

The overlooks on the parkway are still pretty and the mountainsides across the road and the valleys are still showing bright colors and with the perfect blue skies we have had here in the Smoky Mountains the visibility has been very good. The temperatures on the higher elevations are cooler than the valleys but are still very comfortable.

As you can see by this picture taken on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday the leaves that have lost most of their color are still on the trees and have turned into deep reddish brown that are still pretty and can be found on the first 8 miles of the parkway.

The overlooks still look at out green valleys and there is plenty of yellow in various shades as you start to drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

If you want excitement when driving this is a great road to tour on and as you go deeper into the parkway there is still great pockets of color to be found. Early morning or just before sunset are the best time to enjoy the colors and the traffic though normally light it is even lighter in the morning.

Drive carefully while you are enjoying the fall colors and if the weather cools down dramatically in the afternoon or you are venturing out first thing in the morning watch out for patches of ice that can form especially in the cooler shaded areas of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is also best to drive with your lights on in the tunnels even during daylight. The Blue Ridge Parkway has a maximum speed limit of 45 miles and hour but some areas you will have to slow down even further due to extreme curves and blind spots.

So why not explore the Smokies just an hour away from Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee?

Fall color report for Newfound Gap Road from Gatlinburg to Cherokee

Newfound Gap Road (US 441) is the most important and well traveled thoroughfare in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and it connects Gatlinburg Tennessee with Cherokee North Carolina and if you know where to look there are still some great fall colors.

Newfound Gap Road starts and ends is valleys and winds it way up and down some of the highest elevations in the park so when fall comes to the Smokies, the first great color in the trees leaves can be found on this road and the fall colors will last a month or more.

Newfound Gap Road has plenty of pull offs where you can enjoy the fall colors on the hiking trails and quiet walkways that begin on this road and the spectacular overlooks that give you a panoramic views of mountains and valleys.

Surprisingly the best fall color right now on Newfound Gap Road is not at the lowest elevations such as at the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg Tennessee or at the Oconaluftee visitor center by Cherokee North Carolina.

The best fall colors on Newfound Gap Road can now be found on the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains national park starting at around mile marker number 3 just under 2 miles south of the Sugarlands visitor center.

The picture above was taken yesterday at the Campbell Overlook pull off which looks out toward Mount Le Conte and Bullhead. As you can see the color runs up and down the mountainsides. Deep and light yellows mix in with some red and light tans contrasting against some remaining green.

The picture below shows Newfound Gap Road yesterday just above the Campbell overlook and you can see how the road is draped in a tunnel of trees with wild fall colors.

Passengers should look up when riding along this road to see how the sunlight makes the leaves glow.

There are a few spots beside the overlook to pull off to take in the fall colors where they are their best right now along the road.

There are 2 quiet walkways along the road where leaves are in peak that allow you to stroll leisurely and either go down to the river or deeper into the woods. There are even abandoned home sites to explore.

Further on up the road toward Newfound Gap and the N Carolina border you will come to the Chimneys picnic area. This is now a great place to have a snack or have lunch and enjoy what is left of the beautiful fall colors.

There is also a nature trail in the Chimneys picnic area well worth exploring to enjoy the colors in the leaves and the beauty of the park.

Past the Chimneys picnic area you will find 3 pull offs where you can look out the mountain called the chimney tops. Here you can look all the way down into the valley and see the distinctive mountain peaks. The fall color here is starting to fade but is still wonderful.

After these pull off the color is still good and you will find 2 more quiet walkways along Newfound Gap Road. By the time you reach the Chimney Tops Trailhead parking area you are past peak fall color on Newfound Gap Road.

November report on the best Smoky Mountains drive for fall color

Fall colors in the trees are at peak or past peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park but there are places to go where you can see the best fall colors in the Smokies that have a ways to go before they too are gone.

The drive in Cades Cove as always is stunning and even though most of the leaves have fallen from the trees in the Cove, there are still lots of yellow, deep and bright red and burnt orange and tan along the mountain sides that are still visible and showy.

You will also catch great fall colors from yellows to light greens that are very intense along Laurel Creek Road the road that takes you from the Townsend Wye to the entrance of Cades Cove.

The best fall color on Laurel Creek Road can be found from starting at about 5 miles is as you ascend the road up to Incline Gap and Crib Gap. There is a pull off on the right hand side of Laurel Creek Road here, use it!

The best drive in and around the park to see fall colors right now is inside Cades Cove on Rich Mountain Road. The entrance to Rich Mountain Road is just a little past Hyatt Lane and across from the Missionary Baptist Church on the right hand side.

Since Rich Mountain is past Hyatt you can circle around the back of Cades Cove past Hyatt Lane, past the 2 beautiful overlooks, the Abram Falls parking area, the Cades Cove visitor center and then circle back on Hyatt Lane.

Rich Mountain Road is less than 7 miles long but can take and hour or more to drive. This road is not paved and does have a few ruts and protruding rocks so you must drive slowly - but it is well worth it since much of Rich Mountain Road is at peak color in the foliage right now so be sure to take your time and drive slowly looking all around.

Deer and black bear are often on this road and a great time to start this tour would be around 4 pm so you stand the best chance to see wildlife and have the best afternoon sun. You should also be out of the park and on the main road far before sunset.

As soon as you get on Rich Mountain Road you start to gradually climb and right away you will get to see great fall colors and now you are away from all of the Cades Cove traffic.

If you want to stop to take a picture, be sure to pull over to the side of the road so you can let someone pass you. There are 3 trailheads on this and plenty of places along the road where you can just wander off into the woods.

While the fall colors right now on the start of the drive are in clumps right now, everything will be in full flaming colors in only a few days.

About a 1/3 of the way in on Rich Mountain Road there is an opening on the canopy on the right and you see the spectacular view of the whole Cades Cove valley and the mountains that ring it in full fall colors in the picture below.

Keep your eyes open for the Indian Gap Trail Trailhead that comes before Cold Spring Gap less than 2.4 miles in. This trail still also has some nice color and even if you walk in 15 minutes or so you will enjoy it.

After you cross Cold Spring Gap and go further in you will see a quick overlook looking out to Townsend. The foliage is still thick so the view is not as nice as it will be when the leaves are down.

You have 2 more trailheads to pass before you leave the Great Smoky Mountains national park. The first will be Rich Mountain Loop Trail on the right hand side with very limited parking. This is a very long trail with some very nice overlooks and can take you all the way back into Cades Cove.

The next trailhead is for the Ace Gap Trail on the left hand side with ample parking right which is just before you exit the part.

Right now the first mile and a half on the Ace Gap trail has some great color, of course you can hike in further if you wish to. Right now this is one of the best fall color hikes in the park and if you have the time hike it!

Rich Mountain Road closes in winter and since it is in full peak colors for leaf season now is the time to take a drive on this scenic road in the Smokies.

November leaf color report for Great Smoky Mountains: Greenbrier

The leaf colors are bright and in peak season in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park just outside of Gatlinburg Tennessee.

Greenbrier is known for being one of the quieter sections of the Great Smoky Mountains national park with outstanding hiking, great fishing and a picnic area and picnic pavilion.

We just checked 2 hiking trails to see how the fall colors are doing in this section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park and we were not disappointed and neither will you.

Both hiking trails begin at the Ramsey Cascades Trailhead which is well marked. When you enter Greenbrier you might think all the colorful fall leaves are gone but keep on driving, it gets better and better the closer you get to the trailhead.

From the trailhead you can to go to the Ramsey Cascades Falls - an 8 mile round trip or the Pinnacles Man Way a 7 mile round trip. Remember you don't have to hike all the way to enjoy the scenery!

Both trails first cross the river where you should take pictures from the bridge. By now you already have seen bright yellows and reds and a few orange leaves in the trees. Plenty of light and dark green so we have a while before this section will flame out.

The hiking trial was made on an old logging roadbed at this point and gently keeps climbing up along the river. On your left hand side there are gigantic boulders and sheer rock cliffs, even a semi cave at once point.

Stop and listen to the sounds of the river and when the wind blows the leaves falling from the trees. A perfect spot to do this is there is a log bench on the right hand side by the roaring river.

At the 1-1/2 mile mark there is a small sign on the left of the trail showing that the Ramsey Cascades trail is straight ahead. This unmarked trail is the Greenbriers Pinnacles trail.

The Pinnacles trail is a non maintained trail where you will have to climb over a few logs as you work your way up almost 2,000 feet in and works its way up to some fantastic overlooks and the top of the mountain where you will find the ruins of an old fire tower.

Since this is a rarely used trail more often than not you will see no one on the way up and down this hiking trail and there are great fall colors and the ability to look across at other mountains fall colors.

Here you will walk by rocks walls, cross a small stream, pass by some large old tress and through some rhododendron and mountain laurel lined sections of the trail. Picture below was taken on this trail.

Ramsey Cascades is also about a 2,000 foot climb with no scenic overlooks but you get to cross a roaring river on log bridges where you will also see a stunning rock wall by one of the log bridges with a beautiful pool along the riverside.

Another special feature of this trail beside the fantastic cascade waterfall at the top of the trail is the huge hemlock trees and poplar trees - some of the larger and older trees in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. Take a picture with a person next to the tree so you can get the scale of how large the trees are.

The fall colors on this trail come and go. In some areas of the trail we have gone pasty peak and others have yet to come out in full color. The shot below from the trail shows one of the peak fall color sections.

Even though these hiking trails are not exceptional long they are fairly strenuous.

You will also find that you will go through some real changes in temperature getting both hotter and cooler are you go up in elevation so dress in layers. Ramsey Cascades even the summer is much cooler than the trail is.

Come on out whole the fall colors are still great in the Greenbrier are right next to Gatlinburg Tennessee and just minute from more than 150 cabin rentals by American Mountain Rentals.

Information on the Greenbrier Section of the National Park