Smoky Mountains Fall Color Season: Where and When To See the Best Leaves In 2010

The secret is out as to the best place to rent a log cabin to see the fall colors - it is the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.

Sure, there are other great places to see fall colors such as Vermont, New Hampshire and Michigan, but none of these locations to leaf peep in autumn has such a wide variety of trees that change colors, elevations and micro-climates.

This means instead of having a week or two of great leaf colors every fall, the Great Smoky Mountains leaf season ranges for months! The leaves start to change color in the Smokies in the higher elevations during September and the hardwoods trees such a red oaks will have bright flaming colors in the leaves typically in November - sometimes as late as Thanksgiving!

Why does the leaf season peak last so long on the Smokies and what is the best time to see the fall colors at their peak? The fall color peak varies each year by weather and the peak for each location in the Smoky Mountains can vary by weeks compared to another location a mile or so away.

The weather of a prior spring and summer can change how brilliant the colors will be as well as the lasting power of each leaf with its brilliant color from red to oranges to yellows on a tree or bush. Add into the mix that weather during the fall can contribute to how long the peak color will last during a given year.

Changes is sunlight trigger when leaves "shut off" and go dormant for the winter and the green color in the chloroform inside each leaf in the fall fades and the yellows and orange colors now show through. Less sunlight happens each day in the fall occurs as sunset comes earlier each day and very cloudy or rainy days can trick the leaves in the trees and bushes that change color think its later in the season.

The colder weather that occurs later in autumn turns some fall leaves such as those in oak trees and maple trees changes the sugar that is left in the leaves into bight reds, purple and some salmons. The timing and duration of cold snaps can intensify, accelerate or decelerate these colors coming at the fall peak of these trees.

All of these factors combined as well as the fact that there are more different species of trees that change colors all at different times and at different colors growing in the Great Smoky Mountains and the national park than there are throughout all of Europe. With the 5,000 plus foot variation in elevation and huge differences in sunlight exposure between ridge-lines, hollows and valleys extend what should be a week-long peak for a single species of tree, to 3 or more weeks to see great leaf color in the same tree!

All of these factors together mean there is no single day or week for peak leaf season in the Great Smoky Mountains. What you can count on is a range with the month of October being most brilliant in the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge area that includes the same basic peak season in Wears Valley, Walden Creek, Sky Harbor, Townsend, Brothers Cove, Caney Creek, Bluff Mountain, Greenbrier, Elkmont, Cades Cove, Pittman Center, Cosby and the surrounding areas in the Smokies.

Going over Newfound Gap to Cherokee, Bryson City , Maggie Valley, Asheville and Waynesville, the peak starts earlier because of a change in elevation and temperature. This way guests who stay in East Tennessee at the earlier part of leaf season in September can take a short drive to see the peak in the mountains and come back home to a cabin surrounded by the lush green privacy!

While leaf season is peaking, the acorn crop is crop is as well which means besides lots of squirrels running around eating and burying acorns this is peak season for seeing black bear in the Smokies looking to out on some extra pounds before winter when they tend to almost hibernate in what is called winter sleep.

While black bear will be active during park leaf season all over the Smokies, the best place to see them will be in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains national park at the first hour or so of daylight and the last 2 hours before sunset. As it gets later in the fall black bear may be active eating acorns and scrounging for other food all day long.

The best place to rent a cabin during the fall leaf season during peak color in the Smoky Mountains depends greatly upon what you are looking for and when you plan on staying on the Smokies. Some people want complete seclusion on their vacation while some want to be high atop a mountain ridge looking out for miles at the fall colors and still others don't want to brave steep roads and driveways and prefer to be close to a river to catch some trout while the weather is still nice.

Besides log cabins for rent in the Pigeon Forge - Gatlinburg areas of the Smokes, there are chalets for rent as well. What's the difference between a chalet and a cabin? Cabins have wood walls and ceilings and usually hardwood floors while chalets typically have walls and ceilings that are painted or wallpapered drywall. There are plenty of Pigeon Forge Chalet Rentals as well as those in Gatlinburg.

Another place to see great colored leaves in the Smokies beside the national park is in America's favorite theme park in the Mountains: Dollywood. As a matter of fact, Dollywood if often the people's choice winner of the best theme park in the US and the are plenty of great cabins for rent next to Dollywood. Peak fall colors in and around Dollywood is around the 2nd to 3rd week in October.

Therefore, with so many choices, it may not be easy to find the best place to rent a cabin on the Smokies during peak fall colors by yourself not to mention many a vacation has been ruined by a bad "rent by owner" experience so what should you do? Rent form a reputable cabin rental management company such as American Mountain Rentals or Brothers Cove and you are sure to have a great leaf peeping vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.

More About Peak Leaf Season in the Great Smoky Mountains:

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

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

Where to hike and bike and enjoy the last of the fall colors in the Smoky Mountains.

There is still some fall color left when hiking and biking in the Great Smoky Mountains for this years leaf season, but don't expect to last past the weekend.

Right now the best place to bike to see fall colors in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is also a place that you can hike as well.

The Foothills Parkway West has an incomplete section that hikers and bikers can use for as much as 9 miles in. This section can be found right across from the open section of Foothills Parkway West from just past Townsend at Walland to US 129.

Once you start hiking in you will see what should have been the Foothill Parkway sign now missing but there is plenty of light and dark yellows all around even though it rained earlier today and knocked many of the leaves down.

The whole 9 miles in is all paved and is perfect for biking and hiking and you can even bring a leashed dog is you wish. Since it is paved it has a moderate grade and most of what you will be hiking or biking going in will be uphill.

Though there is color left along the sides of this hiking area, most of the color is out in the mountains across from you and in the valleys.

About 1 mile in on the right there is the first pull off with a small grass island and a hill. There was lots of fog and clouds today but on a clear day walk up the island for an even more birds eye view.

Beneath you is 321 and as you can see by the picture above the fall colors in the trees in the mountains across from you are still bright and vibrant with autumn leaves showing reds, oranges, yellows, green and some browns and tans.

Some of the weeds and shorter plants are also giving of some nice color and they add to the whole autumn feel. There are also still a few wild flowers still blooming here but it's the autumn leaves that give off the best show right now.

The weather here in the Smokies is expected to have some rain and possible snow so if you decide to hike or bike on this trail make sure to bring enough layers and rain gear to stay dry.

Today there was too much fog for any good long shots and there weren't the usual blue skies we have had the past few weeks all throughout our peak leaf season.

Try to come out and enjoy the fall colors now as they won't be around for more than a few more days in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Update: The incomplete section of the Foothills Parkway is closed right now due to ongoing construction.

Smoky Mountains fall colors and wildflowers: Cove Mountain Trail

The recent light rain may have washed down many of the colorful fall leaves but there are still plenty of fall colors to be found right next to Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

One of the lesser traveled hiking trails in the Great Smoky Mountains national park that is very close to the city of Gatlinburg is a perfect place right now to see fall colors, long vistas and even a few wildflowers that are still left blooming.

The beginning of the Cove Mountains Hiking trail is less than 2 minutes from downtown Gatlinburg and is right behind the national park headquarters. The trail passes by Cataract Falls which is generally a trickle this time of year. After you are past the falls you will run into few people if any.

If you were to hike the entire length of this trail it would almost be an 18 mile round trip, but there is no need to hike that far. Hiking just an hour or so in you will pass by pretty views, streams, plenty of fall colors and the best wildflowers still left blooming on the national park.

The majority of the steepest hiking will be within the first half hour on this trail. The trail is very smooth and usually bone dry so you can hike comfortably with just sneakers.

On this trail you will still find yellow and crimson red fall leaves on the trees. There is also plenty of color on the bushes, small plants and young trees along the forest floor.

While usually by this time of the year there are few if any flowers blooming, this trail has more than any other trail we had checked for weeks.

There are a variety of small wildflowers still blooming and the color pallet ranges from pure white to yellows and light and deep purples. All of the wildflowers in the photo montage below were photographed from the Cove Mountains hiking trail yesterday.

While same of these wildflowers are far past their peak, there are still blooming and giving some additional color other than just the fall leaves to the mountains and forest floor.

You can look at the wildflowers in the National Park but you must remember not to pick them or remove plants or even seeds. Plants, animals and even rocks are protected within the boundaries of the national park.

While same of these wildflowers are far past their peak, there are still blooming and giving some additional color than just the fall leaves to the mountains and forest floor.

Speaking of seeds, by this time of the year many of the wildflowers have turned into seeds. Even in their simplicity there is great beauty so be sure to take your time and take in all the fall beauty of the park.

The seed head above was about half the size of a dime and was in some moss along the side of the trail about and hour and a half up. Looking up from this point you will see giant red leaves hanging from a flame oak tree.

Once you get out of the hollows, the hiking trail follows a ridgeline which often looks out at the mountains across the valley. The light was fading fast when more clouds came in you could see the yellow still popping out in the valleys where more of what's left of the fall colors are.

What's unusual about this hiking trail and unlike most other hiking trails within the Great Smoky Mountains national park is that this trail passes close by some homes and cabins so if you smell smoke it may be a fireplace not a wildfire.

You won't have to hike long to enjoy the fall colors on Cove Mountains but you will enjoy all the time you spend on this wonder fall hike.

The Cove Mountain Hiking Trail is just minutes from dozens of Smoky Mountains cabins for rent by American Mountain Rentals.

Fall colors Smoky Mountains road tour: Tail of the Dragon

There are many great roads to tour the Smokies in the fall but none have as unique a character or such stunning views as the south end of the Great Smoky Mountains national park where you can ride on US 129 - the famous Tail of the Dragon.

What makes this auto tour to see the fall colors in the Smoky Mountains so special? How about 318 curves in only 11 miles of deeply wooded areas or where you are looking out over stunning water and mountain scenery!

Even though we are way past peak fall colors in most of North Carolina there is still some great color to be found along the Tail of the Dragon and all of the vistas this stunning winding road looks out on.

Though the Tail of the Dragon is heavily traveled in the spring, summer and early fall, by now most of the riders are gone and you can find stretches of this magnificent road to enjoy the fall colors and the thrill of driving the Dragon all to yourself.

This road is challenging to driver so you will find motorcycle riders and drivers of high performance cars from around the country who come here. Do not exceed the speed limit ask the road is unsafe at high speed and there is heavy speed enforcement on the Tail of the Dragon.

This road is open year round but can get very rough in snow and ice and if there has been a recent storm and you are one of the first on this road take your time in case there are any downed trees or branches.

One of the best ways to get to the Tail of the Dragon from Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg or Sevierville is to take the Foothills Parkway west until it hits US 129 and then turn left.

Right away the scenery is amazing with sheer rock faces and woods on the left and water on the right.

One of the first big pulls off on one side looks down to water, mountains and a dam pictured above and on the other side you have the mountains of the Great Smoky Mountains national park aflame in reds and oranges contrasting with deep green color.

Further on down the road enjoy all the fall colors while you follow the signs to the Fontana dam. Though the visitor center at the Fontana dam is closed this is a great detour off the main road to check out the fall colors and one of a kind Smoky Mountains views.

At the Fontana dam you will find a picnic area, overlooks, parking areas and at the other end of the dam a trail head for the Appalachian Trail and another hiking trail that will take you deep into the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

The Fontana dam is the largest dams east of the Mississippi and Harrison Ford made his famous jump here in the movie The Fugitive. In the movie the railroad derailment took place here too!

The picture above was just taken at the dam and it shows how low the water is in Lake Fontana but also how much color is still in the mountains.

Get back on the road and head toward Bryson City NC so you can loop back to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge through the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Now that the Tennessee River is to the left of you make sure to check out all of the pull offs to the left for some more stunning fall mountains and river views such as the picture above.

This is still plenty of color in the woods along the roadway and when the road turns into agricultural areas and even rural residential the colors and the scenery is still very nice.

To continue the large loop on the best fall colors motor drive follow the signs to the National Park and take Newfound Gap Road back to Gatlinburg where you will still find beautiful fall colors once you are just past the Chimneys Trailhead parking area.

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.

Best fall drives to see the fall colors in the Smokies: Foothills Parkway

As each day passes the best fall colors are in smaller and smaller pockets such as the Foothills Parkway west starting just outside of Townsend on 321 which ends at US 129 which becomes the famous Tail of the Dragon.

Right now the best fall colors and long vistas of color in the Great Smoky Mountains are found on the Foothills parkway. This 14 mile stretch of beautiful roadway has little traffic, stunning overlooks and a short hiking trail with a stunning view.

This is one of the few places that is under national park control that you can look out at a spectacular long range vista of cities and towns all the way out past Knoxville.

The picture above was taken yesterday of one of the long vistas looking out over Maryville and beyond. There are 3 great pull offs on the right hand side of the Foothills parkway that all have spectacular views - stunning at night too!

The fall colors along the Foothills Parkway vary from bright glowing yellows to deeper gold and tans along with bright and deep reds. Some of the flame oaks are now showing off crimson red and deep maroons in pockets and slowly tuning brown.

Watch as you drive by the colorful fall leaves on the side of the road or there is a stiff wind and the leaves flutter like snowflakes. Take advantage of the pulls off to the right that look out over the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

At about 9.5 miles in there is a large pull off with an observation area near the parking lot as well as the trail head for the Look Rock observation tower.

The tower is little more than a 1/2 mile in on a small paved easy hiking trail that takes you through wooded area. Most of the leaves here on the nature trail have fallen but there is still color to be found.

The forest floor here has some pretty large builders and old rotting logs covered in dark green moss with light green lichen. These look beautiful against the browns, tans and yellows of the leaves on the forest floor.

Before you reach the Look Rock Observation Tower you will pass by 2 buildings that are fenced off. There building contain weather and air monitoring equipment to keep track of the air quality which is increasing being assaulted by ozone mostly from coal burning power plants and automobile exhaust.

The Look Rock Tower is a modern concrete structure and you ascend 2 ramps without stairs to get to the observation area up top.

As you walk up the ramps you are ascending up into the canopy of the trees to get your birds eye view at the top. keep your eyes out for squirrels racing around and jumping from branch to branch knocking down the fall leaves.

The view at the top of Look Rock is fantastic and the mountain right across as seen in this picture was glowing with reds and maroons as well as some of the valleys.

Up here you have a 360 degree view and when the visibility is good you can see all the way out to the Cumberland Plateau and across way into the Great Smoky Mountains national park and the of the beautiful fall colors.

Less than 1/2 an hour away from all this beauty you will find more than 150 top rated cabin rentals in the Smokies.

Fall colors at peak in the Sinks area of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Fall colors here at the Smoky Mountains are just starting to peak in some areas and even though we had snow 2 days ago, yesterday was a beautiful sunny day with comfortable fall temperatures.

Many leaves have fallen early but that doesn't mean that you have missed the fall peak season for 2008. As a matter of fact the best and brightest colors are just starting to pop out all over the Smoky Mountains.

This fall report is for the Sinks area just off of Little River Road between Gatlinburg and Townsend Tennessee a short drive from Elkmont, Wears Valley and the Metcalf Bottoms picnic area.

The Meigs Creek Trailhead is at the Sinks parking area which is right by a bridge and is marked as a congested area by national park road signs and is located between Elkmont and the Townsend Wye.

The Sinks Waterfall is a popular place for people to come to year round to see the massive rocks, deep pools and the beautiful waterfall. Though people try to, this is not a place to swim due to very fast moving water and submerged rocks.

In the winter the sinks pools can freeze up and be careful if you are climbing on the rocks around the sinks when they are wet or icy as a slip can lead to a serious fall.

Sit here before hiking and take a few pictures of the falls and listen to the roar of the water. Look around and you will see most of the trees here have not even started to change colors or are just starting to lighten in color.

The Meigs Creek Trail is wide comfortable trail to hike on that only goes for about 3.5 miles. It passes through deep forests with beautiful huge trees, along a low ridge line, along the Meigs Creek and lower forests and back up another low ridge where it meets with other trails. The only warning is you will have to cross the Meigs Creek often and right now you can do so by walking on rocks and logs.

After you climb a very low hill, the beginning of the Meigs Creek Trail first travels in a lower elevation where you will see a few trees just starting to turn yellow. Expect to see plenty of birds and right now there a 2 bear very active in this area.

You will cross a small creek/wet area and start slowly ascending a series of switchbacks. Here on the switchbacks yellow and some colored leaves are all over the trail and forest floor and the large tress above and below the trail are just changing colors and will have weeks to go before they fall. Occasionally you will see a deer scampering up and down the hills side here.

After about 1/2 mile and a 500 foot elevation gain in on the Meigs Creek Trail you will come to a turn where in the trail and immediately the trail becomes dryer and warmer and within feet the color explodes!

Here is the best peak leaf color right now in this general area of the Smoky Mountains. Flaming reds, oranges, peaches and salmons are missed in with yellows and various shades of green. In the picture below taken on the trail yesterday you can see how deep blue and clear the sky was and how bright the colors in the leaves are.

Here on the ridge line you should keep walking and you will see plenty of yellow pine which will stay green up here year long. Look to the right and you will see mountain peaks all along side you.

These mountain peaks show how much longer the fall color will last. Look at the mountainside and right now you can see the dots of red and orange and yellow starting to turn against the deep dark green of the forest. This is why there is no best time to come see the fall colors in the Smoky Mountains as they last so long!

Take in the ridge line as you walk along it and be sure to look all around you are even along the trail floor small trees and bushes are bursting forth in a riot of color.

Eventually the ridge-line starts to gradually descend lower and lower and the colors slowly gives way to more green as the forest is just starting to gradually change color.

Lots of yellow leaves are on the forest floor here and you will start to have the Meigs Creek and tributaries more than 10 times before you reach the end of the trail.

If you brought along a camera take a picture of the leaves flowing on the top of the water showing of their colors and floating down the small waterfalls and around the rocks which you can use to cross the creek.

It's so quite here except for the sound of the water and the gentle sound of the leaves falling. This is a great spot to take a picnic lunch but be sure to pack up and take everything you brought into the woods back out with you.

Look in the trees, bushes and along the forest floor while you are hiking and you will see plenty of berries and nuts that will be a autumn feast to the large and small animals that live in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Alongside the trail and on the rocks and some of the logs you will see plenty of partridge berry plants (Rubiaceae Mitchella) in some areas. These small ground cover plants have deep green leaves and pretty bright red berries. If you are lucky and look hard enough you may still be able to find a few blooming as I did yesterday.

The hiking trail starts to now ascend and you will see some patches of fantastic fall color. The leaves of the ground are in a rainbow of glowing colors and you will hit patches of red and orange that would hurt your eyes if you stare at them!

You will also walk through a deep green tunnel of rhododendron bushes that will stay green year round. Many of the trees are still green here giving you an opportunity to see great fall colors for weeks to come.

Eventually the trail starts to ascend more steeply for a few hundred feet and you will come to the end of the trail where it meets 2 other trails. If you want to go further in and see more color at peak, go to the right and take the trail to Tremont.

This was not a hard hike and is right now one of the best places to see the fall colors.

If you could not make it this year, there is always next year to come stay in the Smokies and enjoy the best of the fall color.

Fall colors to peak and intensify after cold snap and snow in the Smokies

The Tennessee Smoky Mountains has had spectacular weather this whole fall and late summer. Maybe a little too nice as there have been no very cold days to snap the leaves into the bright fall colors in the mid and lower elevations.

Yesterday morning the upper elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains where shrouded in deep dark snow clouds which dropped snow on the high elevations and even down to mid elevations prompting road closures in the national park and for hikers to break out the hats and gloves.

Since the fall colors were the brightest and best in the Roaring Fork area right next to Gatlinburg and minutes from Pigeon Forge, it was time to check out to see if the cold weather made the fall colors even better.

One of the most popular hiking trails in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is the Rainbow falls trail. Most hikers only go up the first 2.5 miles where the waterfall is but you can take the trail all the way up to the Mt Le Conte summit.

The parking area fall colors were just a little brighter and even though it seemed warm here, the trial climbs quite a bit so bringing gloves, a hat and a vest was a must.

Just about 40 minutes into the trail which first starts along the stream the trail heads deeper into the woods and there is a switchback bend. While there were a few leaves along the way that had a few snow flakes on them, the major snow on the trail started just after the bend.

Here the bright yellow trees burst forth in color and look fantastic against the dark greens and contrast beautifully against the white snow. Normally you get a great view of the mountain peaks across the trial, but the snow was falling hard high up and hid the peaks.

While you are hiking on this trail don't just admire the bright colored fall leaves just about to peak, look around and you will see moss covered chestnut trees on the forest floor dusted with snow and the huge boulders.

This time of the year you should also be able to catch a glimpse of a chipmunk and you will hear the red and gray squirrels chattering way at each other as they jump from branch to branch of the trees knocking down colorful leaves and snow as they perform their acrobatics.

Squirrels and other animals right now in the Great Smoky Mountains national park are already sporting their heavy winter coats and are working hard to eat what they can to build up their winter fat. The squirrel eating below was on the trail and not concerned about anything other than eating acorns.

As you are gaining altitude you will notice it is getting a little colder and the snow is a little deeper and there are few outstanding overlooks as well.

While this is a heavily traveled hiking trail, more often than not you will find it quiet where you can hear the wind blowing through the leaves in the trees and the far away gurgle of streams and creeks.

Sometimes it is so quiet up here you think you are hearing the noise of traffic in the distance. Listen carefully, it's actual the wind blowing down the valleys and hollows of the Smoky Mountains.

Even though Rainbow Falls is less than 3 miles from the trailhead it takes most people from 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours to reach the waterfall. Don't rush getting up here as the journey is as special as the destination is.

You will first pass a smaller lower falls where you may have to rock hop as you are crossing the lower part of the falls. Be careful here is it can freeze up and get very slippery.

You continue up the path and the beautiful Rainbow Falls with its shear multi colored walls framed by huge boulders and ringed by trees unfolds in front of you.

As you can see by the picture above, it's not just the water tumbling down the cliff side that sets Rainbow Falls apart from other waterfalls in the area, it is the sheer size and scale of the waterfall, the huge pools of water below and the gigantic boulders littering the stream bed.

Since we are still in a drought situation here in the Smoky Mountains, the flow of water is very light. Sometimes in the spring and summer after big storm of after a big now melt, the huge section of the wall is a flowing curtain of water. In the winter the whole waterfall sometime freezes.

You can see that even though the trees around the falls right now are crusted in a blanket of white snow, the autumn colors are still showing through. You can see yellows, reds, light and dark greens which look stunning what the sky will clear up with a deep blue sky and the snow will glisten like diamonds.

Rainbow Falls gets its name not by the fact that you will see a rainbow in the sky or in the air around the waterfall but by the fact that rocks on the cliff have many colors running from greens to grays, whiles, blacks and yellows.

It is stunning to if the angle of the sun is right see the falls in the 1/2 hour during sunset and sunrise when everything has a golden hue. Flashlights and experience in hiking in the dark is a must of you wish to do this.

Now that the cold weather has set in with freezing temperatures the last few nights, the fall colors are going to accelerate and intensify in color. So far even though the nights are very cold, but by midday you still need a jacket but you won't be freezing.

Be sure to travel around the Smokies as the colors are going to be popping out everywhere now. Even in the lower elevation such as Little River Road and the Spur the color in the leaves is getting better and better.

Personally this is my favorite time to appreciate the fall colors as there are still greens and they look awesome against the contrast of the other leaf colors and of course snow if we get anymore before the leaves drop from the trees.

Best places to stay to see the fall colors in the Smoky Mountains

Though the weather in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina feels like late summer, the fall colors are starting to show. Red, yellow and orange leaves in the trees are now on mountain and hill sides and even the woods in some of the lower elevations. Now is the time to come rent a cabin in the Smokies and enjoy the change of seasons with fantastic fall colors.

Millions of people come to the Smoky Mountains to see the change of the seasons and see the splendor of autumn colors since there are more 100 species of trees which change colors in a variety of shades and over a period of more than a month making areas like Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville Tennessee the best place to see the change of seasons.

Color changes start where it is cooler in the higher elevations and work their way down the mountainside making for a spectacular leaf season and since the highest peaks are visible renting a cabin in Pigeon Forge or the surrounding towns of Gatlinburg and Sevierville is the best place to stay in order to catch the best leaf color change in the Smokies.

Even if you rent a cabin before or after the peak in the leaf season which runs from October into November - the most vibrant colors would be at most a few minutes away.

In the lower elevations of the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee area the tress and bushes normally show of their autumn colors late into November.

Book your cabin in the Smokies now as many people who come to enjoy the colors of fall in the Smokies come back every year and reserve their cabins early.

The pictures in this article are all taken from American Mountain Rentals Cabins in the Tennessee Smokies. American Mountain Rentals has cozy honeymoon cabins for rent all the way up to huge luxury cabin rentals that can sleep more than 30 people.