Big Creek hiking trail: best fall colors for November

The Smoky Mountains are one of the best places to go hiking and what could be better than hiking and seeing the best fall colors? Right now the Big Creek Hiking Trail is one of the last hiking trails to have great fall colors.

The Big Creek Hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is very popular year round especially in the summer. Big Creek is less than an hour away from Pigeon Forge and even closer to Gatlinburg Tennessee and it offers regular and horse camping, a pretty picnic area near a river with beautiful water worn huge boulders.

The most popular hiking trail in Big Creek is the Big Creek Trail which is a very wide trail that was originally a railroad bed and logging road so it is although it climbs continuously in elevation the deeper you go in, the elevation gain is very gradual and the trail is very easy.

The fall colors start very early on the trail and can be seen on both the left hand side of the trail in the valley alongside the river that the trail follows and up the mountainside on the right among the huge boulder and rock faced cliffs.

Here you will find along the trail and up the mountainside there are tall trees that have bright yellows, gold and various shades of reds and still come purple wild flower in the aster family and ground cover and low under story plants in various fall colors.

Once you have gone in about a mile and a half the fall colors do decrease but they or more golden and the hiking trail is ankle deep in colorful fall leaves. Even though there is less colors there is still good reason to keep hiking on this trail even if you don't want to hike the full 5 miles in.

The first stop off to make on the Big Creek hiking trail is the Midnight Hole swimming pool by the Midnight Hole waterfall. 2 years of drought have lowered the water levels of the rivers and creeks in the Smokies and Midnight Hole is no exception.

In the summer midnight hole is filled with people swimming, floating on the water or diving off the large boulders across the stream. Even in the summer the water is very cool and now in the fall no one would dare swim here in the fall.

Since there are no swimmers here, this is a great spot to sit on one of the rocks and watch the colorful fall leaves floating in the water. There are a few colorful trees here but midnight hole is mostly surrounded by evergreens who keep their deep green leaves year round.

Just slightly after the 2 mile mark on the left hand side you will see a well worn path around some trees and rhododendrons and here you will look out over the river and across from you is Mouse Creek Falls one of the prettiest waterfalls in the entire Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Mouse Creek Falls is surrounded by evergreens so year round it looks very similar. Of course in winter there are touches of snow and ice sometimes and in the spring there are a few wildflowers blooming near by, but most flowers are closer to the trail.

Mouse Creek is a tributary of Big Creek and is usually never dry. The waterfalls have an upper and a lower falls with a total drop of more than 50 feet before it reaches Big Creek below.

The next stop you are going to make will not be for the fall colors which are still showing yellows and golds at this point on the trail.

This is something very special that you will near hear about or read in any of the guides for the Smoky Mountains. There is a huge rock on the right hand side of the trail further up the trail pictured here that acts like a giant amplifier.

If you stand by this rock you will hear how amplified the sound of Big Creek is. Try having one of your friend make noise further away and if you find the sweet spot you will hear it amplified here.

I don't know if this rock broke naturally as many of the boulders along this trail have or if this one of the boulders blasted with dynamite by the railroad or the Civilian Conservation Corp when they built this trail.

It worth going up the few more tenths of a mile past what I call Listen Rock to the big bridge that crosses Big Creek to at least take a picture.

On the right there is still fall color here now with some bright splashes of red. At this point in the trail there are far fewer leaves in the trees and even the ground cover has lost most of its color.

This is still a fantastic trail to hike further up on (keep your eyes open for the bricks in the trail) but if you have come to see the best fall colors on a hiking trail in the Smoky Mountains you have already seen them.

Big Creek: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

November Smoky Mountains fall colors auto drive: Foothills Parkway East

Great pockets of fall colors and outstanding views of the Great Smoky Mountains can still be found in the Smokies. One of the best roads to see the fall colors right now by car, motorcycle or bicycle is the Foothills Parkway East.

All of the sections of Foothill Parkways are next to, in or overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains national park and are beautifully maintained by the national park service.

The Foothills Parkway East Connects I-40 with US 321 by Cosby Tennessee and is the best way to get from I-40 to Gatlinburg. This small stretch of road climbs steadily to a crest and then winds its way back down to the valley below.

The Foothills Parkway right now has fantastic color along the roadside with brilliant yellow maples leaves just turning into reds and peaches, oranges, and reds from brilliant light rose to deep burgundy.

You can also see plenty of green around the roadside from the yellow pines, Rhododendron and mountain laurel bushes, trees that haven't changed and grasses and undergrowth.

The pull off on the north side of the Foothills Parkway looks out to mountains, farms, rolling grass fields and the city of Newport in the distance. There is some color in the vista but the best fall color right here is in the tunnel of trees leading to and from this pull off and across the road.

The other 2 large pull offs on the Foothills Parkway East have the best color and the best Smoky Mountains view.

The best time to catch the views and see the fall colors when they are most vibrant on these pull offs is late in the afternoon as the last hour of sun is amazing and you can see how the light comes down in horizontal shafts and the colors in the leaves pop out. Sunrise is fantastic too.

The Foothill Parkway East is the best road to see the fall colors if you are going from Tennessee to areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park such as Cataloochee or Big Creek or going to Maggie Valley or Max Patch.

The Foothills Parkway East is less than an hour from most of the best cabin rentals in the Smokies.

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?

November report on the best Smoky Mountains drive for fall color

Fall colors in the trees are at peak or past peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park but there are places to go where you can see the best fall colors in the Smokies that have a ways to go before they too are gone.

The drive in Cades Cove as always is stunning and even though most of the leaves have fallen from the trees in the Cove, there are still lots of yellow, deep and bright red and burnt orange and tan along the mountain sides that are still visible and showy.

You will also catch great fall colors from yellows to light greens that are very intense along Laurel Creek Road the road that takes you from the Townsend Wye to the entrance of Cades Cove.

The best fall color on Laurel Creek Road can be found from starting at about 5 miles is as you ascend the road up to Incline Gap and Crib Gap. There is a pull off on the right hand side of Laurel Creek Road here, use it!

The best drive in and around the park to see fall colors right now is inside Cades Cove on Rich Mountain Road. The entrance to Rich Mountain Road is just a little past Hyatt Lane and across from the Missionary Baptist Church on the right hand side.

Since Rich Mountain is past Hyatt you can circle around the back of Cades Cove past Hyatt Lane, past the 2 beautiful overlooks, the Abram Falls parking area, the Cades Cove visitor center and then circle back on Hyatt Lane.

Rich Mountain Road is less than 7 miles long but can take and hour or more to drive. This road is not paved and does have a few ruts and protruding rocks so you must drive slowly - but it is well worth it since much of Rich Mountain Road is at peak color in the foliage right now so be sure to take your time and drive slowly looking all around.

Deer and black bear are often on this road and a great time to start this tour would be around 4 pm so you stand the best chance to see wildlife and have the best afternoon sun. You should also be out of the park and on the main road far before sunset.

As soon as you get on Rich Mountain Road you start to gradually climb and right away you will get to see great fall colors and now you are away from all of the Cades Cove traffic.

If you want to stop to take a picture, be sure to pull over to the side of the road so you can let someone pass you. There are 3 trailheads on this and plenty of places along the road where you can just wander off into the woods.

While the fall colors right now on the start of the drive are in clumps right now, everything will be in full flaming colors in only a few days.

About a 1/3 of the way in on Rich Mountain Road there is an opening on the canopy on the right and you see the spectacular view of the whole Cades Cove valley and the mountains that ring it in full fall colors in the picture below.

Keep your eyes open for the Indian Gap Trail Trailhead that comes before Cold Spring Gap less than 2.4 miles in. This trail still also has some nice color and even if you walk in 15 minutes or so you will enjoy it.

After you cross Cold Spring Gap and go further in you will see a quick overlook looking out to Townsend. The foliage is still thick so the view is not as nice as it will be when the leaves are down.

You have 2 more trailheads to pass before you leave the Great Smoky Mountains national park. The first will be Rich Mountain Loop Trail on the right hand side with very limited parking. This is a very long trail with some very nice overlooks and can take you all the way back into Cades Cove.

The next trailhead is for the Ace Gap Trail on the left hand side with ample parking right which is just before you exit the part.

Right now the first mile and a half on the Ace Gap trail has some great color, of course you can hike in further if you wish to. Right now this is one of the best fall color hikes in the park and if you have the time hike it!

Rich Mountain Road closes in winter and since it is in full peak colors for leaf season now is the time to take a drive on this scenic road in the Smokies.

November leaf color report for Great Smoky Mountains: Greenbrier

The leaf colors are bright and in peak season in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park just outside of Gatlinburg Tennessee.

Greenbrier is known for being one of the quieter sections of the Great Smoky Mountains national park with outstanding hiking, great fishing and a picnic area and picnic pavilion.

We just checked 2 hiking trails to see how the fall colors are doing in this section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park and we were not disappointed and neither will you.

Both hiking trails begin at the Ramsey Cascades Trailhead which is well marked. When you enter Greenbrier you might think all the colorful fall leaves are gone but keep on driving, it gets better and better the closer you get to the trailhead.

From the trailhead you can to go to the Ramsey Cascades Falls - an 8 mile round trip or the Pinnacles Man Way a 7 mile round trip. Remember you don't have to hike all the way to enjoy the scenery!

Both trails first cross the river where you should take pictures from the bridge. By now you already have seen bright yellows and reds and a few orange leaves in the trees. Plenty of light and dark green so we have a while before this section will flame out.

The hiking trial was made on an old logging roadbed at this point and gently keeps climbing up along the river. On your left hand side there are gigantic boulders and sheer rock cliffs, even a semi cave at once point.

Stop and listen to the sounds of the river and when the wind blows the leaves falling from the trees. A perfect spot to do this is there is a log bench on the right hand side by the roaring river.

At the 1-1/2 mile mark there is a small sign on the left of the trail showing that the Ramsey Cascades trail is straight ahead. This unmarked trail is the Greenbriers Pinnacles trail.

The Pinnacles trail is a non maintained trail where you will have to climb over a few logs as you work your way up almost 2,000 feet in and works its way up to some fantastic overlooks and the top of the mountain where you will find the ruins of an old fire tower.

Since this is a rarely used trail more often than not you will see no one on the way up and down this hiking trail and there are great fall colors and the ability to look across at other mountains fall colors.

Here you will walk by rocks walls, cross a small stream, pass by some large old tress and through some rhododendron and mountain laurel lined sections of the trail. Picture below was taken on this trail.

Ramsey Cascades is also about a 2,000 foot climb with no scenic overlooks but you get to cross a roaring river on log bridges where you will also see a stunning rock wall by one of the log bridges with a beautiful pool along the riverside.

Another special feature of this trail beside the fantastic cascade waterfall at the top of the trail is the huge hemlock trees and poplar trees - some of the larger and older trees in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. Take a picture with a person next to the tree so you can get the scale of how large the trees are.

The fall colors on this trail come and go. In some areas of the trail we have gone pasty peak and others have yet to come out in full color. The shot below from the trail shows one of the peak fall color sections.

Even though these hiking trails are not exceptional long they are fairly strenuous.

You will also find that you will go through some real changes in temperature getting both hotter and cooler are you go up in elevation so dress in layers. Ramsey Cascades even the summer is much cooler than the trail is.

Come on out whole the fall colors are still great in the Greenbrier are right next to Gatlinburg Tennessee and just minute from more than 150 cabin rentals by American Mountain Rentals.

Information on the Greenbrier Section of the National Park

Fall color report for late October 2008 in the Great Smoky Mountains national park

Late October in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is peak for color in the higher attitudes in both Tennessee and North Carolina and the fall color in the leaves are working their way down from the mountain peaks slowly down to the valleys.

There a many reasons why the Great Smoky Mountains national park is so fantastic in the autumn to see the leaves change color in October and November. 2 reasons are that there are more than 100 species of trees in the park and that there is more than 4,000 feet in elevation range from the mountains tops the valleys.

The result of all of the species of different trees all in one place that change color sis that they will all change colors at different times, in different shades and with different intensities. Add into this great diversity of color and timing of the peak of each type of trees leaves and add in the major changes in elevation and you have a leaf season that starts in early October and you can find great color until mid or late November.

Cades Cove in the picture above taken yesterday is not even close to having peak beginning on the valley floor. The deer and coyote are sporting their winter coats and the bear are busy collecting acorns and eating as much as they can to take them through the winter.

The Great Smoky Mountains has many other sections in the park and we will take you through the best place to see the fall colors right now on the Smokies and where they will be.

Once of the best places to take a hike right now in the Great Smoky Mountains national park to see the fall colors is in the higher elevations by Cove Mountain, Wear Valley and Round Top trail that will take you all the way to the Townsend Wye, of course you don't have to hike in far to see great sights.

As you can see by the picture of the bright red leaves on the tree the colors are already stunning. There are also bright yellows and mixes of orange, light yellow and still plenty of deep green of trees which have not changed yet, rhododendron and some yellow pine.

Get off Little River Road at the Metcalf Bottoms picnic area and take the bridge over the river and keep going uphill until you reach the trailhead parking on either round top on the left or the Hiking Trail to Little Greenbrier on the right. Both trails will be great for weeks.

Another section of the national park close to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is Elkmont section pictured above where a lot of the logging operations took place prior to the formation of the national park.

Since the bottom of Elkmont is one of the lower elevations on the park you are just going to see the start of the color changes here right now. Elkmont has many great hiking trails and they will all take you to higher elevations where the color is better.

One of the nicest and easiest hiking trails to take in Elkmont to see the fall colors is along the Little River Trail. Here you will see the yellow and golden brown leaves already on the trail floor and floating on the river alongside the trail. Giant rock boulders in the river form many small waterfalls and the higher up you hike the better the color becomes.

This is a very easy smooth trail that was a railroad grade and logging road so it is very easy to hike. You do keep on climbing though the further you go in and if you take the Goshen Prong branch of the trail you will reach the peak of the park on the Appalachian Trail where you will find amazing fall colors.

Between Elkmont and Cades Cove just after the Townsend Wye you will find the turnoff to taker you to Tremont - another section of the park that used to have large logging operations.

In the lower elevations of Tremont you will also find most of the trees have not started to change colors but there are some very pretty patches of yellows and reds that are growing more intense by the day.

The gravel road in Tremont travels along the river. Get out on some of the pull outs and just soak in the beauty of this area.

The gravel ends up at a trailhead parking area. Even if you don't want to hike far, just go in 15 minutes and sit at the bench and take in one of the nicest waterfall cascades in the park. Again this is a relatively smooth trail that keeps climbing and the higher you go the better the color is.

Expect this trail to be great until mid to late November!