Fall color report for Gatlinburg Greenbrier section of the Smoky Mountains
The Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park is just outside the city limits of Gatlinburg on 321 and it is showing serious fall colors and will be at least another week before it reaches peak which should last a week or more.
Fall is a great time to visit the Greenbrier section of the national park in the Smokies as the leaf colors are quite brilliant at peak. Greenbrier has some very good hiking trails for fall colors with plenty of stream, creeks and rivers to reflect the colorful leaves in the pools and Ramsey Cascades a stunning cascade falls in the higher elevation. There are also plenty of small waterfalls along the way.
One of the more interesting hikes very close to Gatlinburg is the Old Settlers Trail in Greenbrier that ends up more than 15 miles away in Cosby. Of course you don't have to hike the full 15 miles (or 30 miles round trip) to see fantastic fall colors and beautiful scenery and pass by dozens of old homesteads and farms.
The bright colored leaves above were on the forest floor yesterday on the Old Settlers Trail and this trail is far from peak!
This hiking trail starts as others in Greenbrier do at the base lower elevation by the Little Pigeon River. Large boulders in the Little Pigeon River break up normally swift flowing water and the river is lined by large trees still mostly green but showing plenty of yellows, golden browns and light greens with splashes of red.
The Old Settlers Hiking trail goes up and down in elevation but is never really steep. When you start out the forest floor is mostly green but the light greens and yellows in the trees and bushes and on the forest floor seems to lighten up the whole area with a mystical glow.
Deeper in on the Old Settler Hiking trail as you gain in elevation the leaf colors start to burst forth. The fall colors in the leaves make a perfect contrast to the bright and dark green moss growing on the trunk of the trees and along the sides of the hiking trail.
Some of the trees have dropped all of their leaves in the rain we have had in the past few days opening up the autumn canopy so you may better see the sky. The canopy closes back up to mostly greens and by the time you are down in elevation and hiking along Snakefeeder Branch there are mostly yellows and light greens.
Along the lowest elevation of the Old Settlers Trail most of the wildflowers are gone now that it is autumn and the grasses have turned golden yellow to brown. There were a few blue gentian, some purple asters and little white flowers still blooming.
Climbing up the hills now toward campground 33 you pass by another old homestead one of more than a dozen you have already passed. Here it is still mostly green from the trees, rhododendron as moss. Look carefully down one of the deserted branches of this trail and you will see the broken down building which was either a corn crib or hog pen.
As you as you pass the stone walls all covered in green moss and lichen the forest start to change colors again with more yellows and light green - the starts of more brilliant fall colors to burst forth in the next weeks.
At campground 33 you are slightly more than 6-15 miles in and the falls colors are barley starting here. The Old Settlers Trail in Greenbrier will be a great hiking trail near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for weeks to come!
Don't forget if you want to want to rent the best cabins in the Smokies during peak fall color to rent it early from American Mountain Rentals!
Labels: bright colored leaves, Fall Color Report, Gatlinburg, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Greenbrier, hiking trails, Little Pigeon River, Old Settlers Trail, Smoky Mountains
posted by Smoky Moutains Blog at 9:25 AM
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