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.

Hundreds of hot cars to Cruise the Smokies at the Fall Rod Run

Did you miss the rod run this fall in Pigeon Forge Tennessee? Don't despair as Cherokee North Carolina only an hour away is expecting more than 800 classic and souped up custom cars for the Cruise the Smokies Cherokee rod run.

With fall leaf season at its peak in the Smoky Mountains, this will be a perfect time to come out and see the beautiful classic cars and watch them later on motor around the Smokies.

This is also a prefect time for photography enthusiasts to catch special shots of these classic cars against the stunning backdrops of the of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smoky Mountains national park and the Foothills Parkway. Some of the finer autos are going to take on the famous tail of the Dragon.

We are expecting at least 3,000 attendees to show up for the Cherokee Rod Run and if your wheels are older than 1972 or your car is heavily customized you can register to show you car and compete for cash drawings totaling $15,000 for only $40.

The fall rod run is a great place to meet and network with car lovers, shop at the swap meet, enjoy the daily entertainment. If all of this is not enough to get you excited, The Temptations and The Platters are going to play Saturday night at Harrah's Cherokee Casino.

The Cherokee rod run for classic cars in the Smoky Mountains will be held from October 31st to November 2nd at the Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds. On Friday and Saturday the fairground gates are open from 9-5 and on Sunday from 9 until noon. Tickets for adults and kids 7 and up cost $5 and kids 6 and under are free.

The fall rod run in Cherokee North Carolina is sponsored by Cherokee Travel and Tourism and Harrah's Casino and for more information visit Cherokee Web Site or call (828) 438-1601.

96th Annual Cherokee Indian Fair in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The 96th Annual Cherokee Indian Fair is being held in the Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds on Hwy. 441 where visitors will enjoy, music, comedy shows, stomp dancing, and a host of family-friendly competitions such as and baby crawling contests, blowgun, archery and wood chopping competitions and the opportunity to taste foods like bean bread, fried chicken and greens.

Thanks to the Rye Holler Boys a local teenage bluegrass and gospel band, they are donating there performance fee along with all of the proceeds from their CD sales on the night of the fair to help benefit the family of slain State Trooper Shawn Blanton.

Beside the Rye Holler Boys, visitors to the fair will enjoy being entertained by Native American singer Crystal Schwanda, country singer Sammy Kershaw, the Balsam Range Bluegrass Band and the finale by legendary rock band Foreigner Saturday night along with a fireworks grand finale at 11 pm.

Children under 10 are admitted free and the price for general admission is only $10. For more information visit www.cherokee-nc.com.

Cherokee North Carolina is about an hour from Gatlinburg Tennessee and about an hour and 15 minutes from Pigeon Forge.