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?