Cades Cove showing best leaf colors of the fall season right now – where are you?

Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is right now in middle of peak leaf season and is showing off fantastic leaf colors on the fields, tree lines and all alongside the mountains that ring the Cades Cove Valley. Right now is the best time to see fall colors in Cades Cove!

Most of the leaf peepers are gone - especially during the week and what they missed is the 2008 peak of the Cades Cove fall colors that keep getting better by the day.

While much of the Great Smoky Mountains national park is still green and the peak colors are a week or more away - Cades Cover is in peak leaf season right now!

Though the fields are slowly tuning golden yellow, there is still enough green and will be for a while to set of the amazing bright colors that are now glowing in the leaves in and around Cades Cove.

Since winter in the Smoky Mountains is right around the corner and some of the animals will find it harder to find food or will be hibernating, now if a great time to spot wildlife in Cades Cove.

The deer have turned in their golden brown coats for a darker gray coat to better hide in the winter woods. The young fawns have grown quite a bit and are losing their baby spots and venture further away from mama deer and the bucks have shed their velvet on their antlers and rutting season will begin soon.

Though it is getting harder to spot them you can still find bear roaming around looking for acorns and persimmons in Cades Cove. They are getting huge this time of year as they are storing up fat for winter.

The Coyote are active year round but have grown in a winter coats and their tails are a little bushier. Best time to spot the Coyote and bear are earlier in the morning or near dusk.

Squirrels and Chipmunks are easy to spot around trees and the rocks in the woods. Most of the noise you hear in the leaves rustling the fall leaves in Cades Cove are in fact the squirrels searching for the acorns that the black bear have missed.

The falls colors also form the perfect backdrop when talking pictures or just appreciating the view of all of the historic buildings in the Cades Cove Valley.

There are many historic buildings along the Cades Cove 11 mile Loop and taking a driving tour of Cades Cove is a great way to see them all. You can find a Cades Cove Driving Tour Booklet at the entrance of Cades Cove.

The hour just after sunrise and the hour before sunset brings out even more color and punch to the fall leaf colors in Cades Cove. This is the best time to take pictures!

How long will the fall colors last in Cades Cove? There should be at least another 2 weeks of good color in Cades Cove. The Oak trees and other hardwood are just starting to change and there are still tons of trees that are still green so wee have a ways to go.

Just because it is peak leaf season right now doesn't mean you won't be able to see fantastic scenery in the Great Smoky Mountains national park for weeks to come.

Even in the winter when the leaves have fallen, there are still plenty of pines, firs, hemlocks and rhododendron that stay green all winter long and a sprinkle of snow and you have a Christmas card quality picture!