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.