When is the best time to see fall colors in the Great Smoky Mountains?

The Smokies are renowned for having some of the best fall colors when the leaves change in autumn but with as large as the Great Smoky Mountains are where the best place is and when is the best time to see the foliage in peak colors is not a simple answer.

The reason why there is no exact day for the peak colors in 2009 or the perfect places to see the autumn leaves is that there are so many places - hundreds of them to catch breathtaking fall foliage bursting in all the colors of the rainbow.

There are many reasons why the fall colors in the Smokies attract so many people to come see them. One of the most import reasons is that in the Great Smoky Mountains national park there are more than 100 species of trees and hundreds of different species of bushes that all change color.

Since the falls leaves colors during leaf season vary for many reasons and one of the main reasons is which species of trees or bushes are changing as all of the different trees and bushes show a different range of colors. This is what makes the Smokies a great place to see the leaves change as there is a wide range of colors everywhere you look and it is best to go to a few places to see the wide range of fall foliage colors.

Other key factors the effect when the leaves change color in the Smokies as well as the intensity, duration and where to see the change in colors are temperature, moisture, exposure to sunlight and even soil composition.

Since there is a huge difference in elevations from Pigeon Forge Tennessee, Gatlinburg and Cades Cove on the low end to Clingmans Dome, Mount Le Conte and the Blue Ridge Parkway as a higher elevation and where you are in elevation and location will change to surrounding temperatures of the trees as well as exposure to sun, the same species of tree such as a sugar maple tree can display wild vibrant fall colors in some places weeks before it does in others in the Smoky Mountains.

So if you ask when do the leaves start to change colors in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Wears Valley, Cades Cove and all throughout the Great Smoky Mountains national park the answer is they already have started this year in late August!

Look carefully in the Smoky Mountains right now and you will see in the dark green canopy touches of color in a few random leaves in the dogwoods, maples and sourwood trees especially at the higher elevations such as along the Foothills Parkway. But you don't want to come here to just see a few random leaves change color - you want to see the fall colors at their peak in the Smokies!

Count on being able to see fall colors popping out in mid to late to late September 2009 but the real displays will start to be fantastic in October and will still be sowing into November. It is not uncommon to see nice vibrant deep reds and maroons in the hardwoods in the Smoky Mountains such as the oak trees as late as Thanksgiving but you will be far past peak at that time.

So what are the predictions for the 2009 leaf season in the Great Smoky Mountains? Actually the predictions are for an extremely good leaf season in both color and duration if the weather continues to so cooperative!

In the past 2 years in the Smokies there have been record breaking droughts. The lack of water stressed the plants and the colors were actually very good. Temperatures were also much higher during the peaks in summer and even late spring also stressing the tress in bushes in the Smoky Mountains.

Though last year the color of the leaves during the fall season were good, they were lacking in duration and when it would rain, it washed down many leaves prematurely and even though fall leaves are colorful on the ground, for the best impact you want to see is the colorful leaves in peak longer on the trees.

This year 2009 we have made up for the past few years of lack of water and the health of the forests and mountains are fantastic! Add to this cooler than normal temperatures all spring and summer long and you have a recipe for beautiful leaf colors as well as duration where the beautiful brightly colored foliage stays on the trees longer during leaf season along with a greater range of colors all showing at the same time.

Because of the very good weather we have had in 2009 including the cooler than normally temperatures we are experiencing right now in the Smoky Mountains, it is likely that the fall leaf season will start earlier this year and the peak leaf season may run only until the 2nd week in November.

As we had done last year, we will do fall color report updates to let you know where to go to see the best fall colors in the Smoky Mountains and the best places to stay to see the fall colors in 2009. Our updates will also be broadcasted on Twitter and our new Face Book account.

More About Peak Leaf Season in the Great Smoky Mountains:

• Peak Leaf Color Season Dates In Cades Cove and the Great Smoky Mountains for 2012
• Peak Leaf Season Dates For Fall of 2012
• Smoky Mountains Fall Color Season: Where and When To See the Best Leaves In 2010