Fall Peak Leaf Season Best Color Dates for 2012 in Great Smoky Mountains Tennessee

Fall is the time in the Smokies when the trees leaves change to outrageous colors and the carpet of brilliant colors climbs up more than 6,000 feet to the tops of the Great Smoky Mountains where a bright red leaf may be next to a yellow leaf and even a green leaf and this year looks like the best leaf season to be in many years.

Peak leaf season for 2012 in the Smokies will be starting this week for the high elevations and the leaf peepers will be able to see brilliant leaf colors in the high tops of the Smokies for at least 2 weeks at which time the fall peak color will be great and just starting in elevations of around 2,500 feet in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Tennessee.

All of the pictures in this story about peak leaf season in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have been taken in the past few days from places down by the city of Gatlinburg all the way up to the Newfound Gap parking area and in-between. As you can see, the bright fall leaf colors are already starting to happen in the Smokies.

In the mid elevations of the Smoky Mountains where you will find most cabin rentals and scenic lookouts the best fall colors in general will be the second and third week of October 2012. Hardwoods, which show the most brilliant reds and maroons, will be peaking 3rd week in October and the peak leaf season should end around the last week in October.

These estimations of peak fall colors in the Smokies are from air and soil temperature and moisture readings that show that unless the weather patterns change drastically, we should have long leaf duration meaning trees will hold their leaves longer.

What we are hoping for here in the Smokies, particular around the lower elevations in Gatlinburg, Wears Valley and Pigeon Forge is that we continue to get some light rain as we have had in the past few nights to keep the plants well hydrated so that the leaves will stay up and a sharp cold front comes in or we have some very clear nights with temps dipping into the 40's to make the red colors in the leaves pop.

Our leaf season did not get an early start because our weather has just been too nice during the daytime and with less cloud clover and warmer temperatures even high up in the Smoky Mountains the plants internal clocks think it is still late summer and are not shutting down the leaves for fall and turning off chlorophyll production which keeps them green.

Based upon the present long range Smokies Weather reports the light rain of the past few days with slightly cooler temperatures and the upcoming light rain with overcast skies the color should kick in just slightly past normal, but the good news is also that all indications are for one of the brightest and best fall leaf seasons in years.

The Smokies can use another great leaf season as we suffered a few duds where heat stressed and dehydrated trees and bushes dropped leaves quickly during heavy winds that came with fall thunderstorms. The good news is that there are so many different trees in the Smokies that peak at different times so that even these "bad leaf seasons" were still better than most other leaf seasons in the US.

So what will be the best weekend exact day of peak leaf season to see the fall colors in the Smoky Mountains? It all depends on where you want to look at leaves, but be assured; you will have great leaf color for the next 4 weekends with the best fall colors the second and third week of October from most of the Smokies and even some left the first week of November.

What we are waiting for to set peak color in motion is our first heavy frost that will be in higher elevations before the mid and lower ones. We also have 8 of the next 24 days predicted to have rain - none of which are on weekends and that will really help keep the leaves up longer and the colors brighter.

No matter what time you come to the Smokies between now and the end of the first week in November you will be able to see fall colors depending on where you are willing to look and the best peak colors will be from mid to late October for most of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Enjoy your leaf peeping this fall in the Tennessee Smokies!

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

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 leaf color report for Laurel Falls Hiking Trail

The Laurel Falls hiking trail in the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains national park is easily the most hiked trail in the entire park. This is also on of the few paved hiking trails and today it is in peak leaf season throughout the length of the trail.

The trailhead for Laurel Falls in on Little River Road and has a paved parking area which at peak times can be rather full. There is a self guiding tour pamphlet you can purchase right at the beginning of the trail and as you can see the color starts right in the parking lot.

What makes this hiking trail one of the best trails for seeing fall colors in the national park is that you gently climb up in elevation and trees change color to the sides and above you and often you have overlooks looking out at mountains across from the trail and some whole small mountains ranges that are all filling in with fall colors.

There are many varieties of trees along the trail with little undergrowth at the beginning switchbacks so you the ability to have a panoramic view of the forest below you and interesting rock formations on the sides of the trail and above you.

The Laurel Falls Waterfall starts above the trail and collects in a pool that runs under the trail and drops of a shear rock drop to the steam below. The rocks are very slippery on the falls and you are forbidden from climbing on them as people have fallen off of the falls and have gotten hurt. Small children must also be under strict control as the large drop off has no guard rails.

The trees above the falls are showing peach, red, and yellow in the leaves. The rhododendron on the sides and way above the falls stay a beautiful dark green year round.

When there is water in the stream above the falls that can be a huge torrent of water but alas we are in a drought here in the Smokies and the flow though much larger than it appears in the picture below is in fact just a trickle compared to what it could be.

When it gets real cold here Laurel Falls first has ice form on the sides. If you are lucky to catch the falls after there is a bug snow melt and it refreezes the entire waterfall becomes a huge dazzling ice sculpture that must be seen in person to be appreciated.

While most people stop at the waterfall and turn around, the best part of the hike is just 20 more minutes beyond the falls. Here you will leave all the crowds that come to see the falls behind and you enter the forest of huge trees.

The Smoky Mountains national park was heavily logged and almost all the old growth huge trees were cut and taken away. Here on this trail they could not reach some of the trees to log them and they are a sight to see.

These huge trees will be peaking shortly and color along the whole trail should be good for more than a week. The overlooks will have reds and oranges in the distance for at least another 2 or more weeks.

Anytime of the year this is a great trail to explore and is less than 20 minute from mostof the cabin rentals in the Smokies.

Fall Color report for Great Smoky Mountains: Roaring Fork section in Gatlinburg

Some of the best fall colors right now in the Great Smoky Mountains national park can be seen in the Roaring Fork section right outside the city of Gatlinburg Tennessee.

The Cherokee Orchard / Roaring Fork area of the GSMNP is known for its hiking trails, numerous historic buildings and the Roaring Fork Motor Drive. Right now it is also the best place to see fall colors in the Smokies without having to hike very far or if you want even leave your car.

The fall leaf colors just stared to pop out in the lower elevations here in Roaring Fork area and should have some stunning views into November.

As you enter Roaring Forge on Cherokee Orchard Road you will already see color before you even come up to one of the most photographed cabins in the Great Smoky Mountains national park the Noah Bud Ogle cabin pictured below.

If you want to see the Smokies in the wild and don't wish to have a strenuous hike, park your car here and purchase a pamphlet and take a self guided nature tour. It will be time well spent.

As you go further in on Cherokee Orchard Road you may have already pass by one of the active black bears on the left hand side. If the traffic starts to back up a ranger will waive you along.

If you wish to photograph a black bear keep far back and be sure to park in a pull off rather than stop in the road (you want get a ticket this way!). Be sure to watch out as other drivers may be so interested in the bear they won't see you.

The next trailhead you will pull up to is the Old Sugarlands Trail. You don't have to walk very far to see a beautiful stream with a log bridge and a little further down this wide old roadway that is now a trail the color will really burst forth.

Don't want to hike? Pass the next 2 parking areas and make a right and take the Roaring Fork Motor Trail Tour (guide book for sale right at the entrance). This road twist and turns its way up and at the first overlook make sure to get out of your car and take a look at the stunning views looking out at the Gatlinburg mountains which are bursting out in a pallet of pretty colors.

There is one more pull off with another stunning overlook and the parking area where you can take the short hike to Grotto Falls or a long hike all the way up to My Le Conte over 6,500 feet! Past here you will see more and more autumn color in the trees breaking through in yellows, oranges and now hot reds and peaches.

Going downhill you will see a parking area on the left with an old homestead on the right. Now need to describe the beauty of this cabin and farm buildings and the beautiful fall colors busting forth just look at the picture below.

Now that you have seen this stunning beauty you have 2 more homesteads areas and a mill to check out before you leave the park. Each is worth parking and taking in the fantastic fall colors and the beauty of the Smokies.

Roaring for is slow driving road, don't rush it so you want miss anything and for your own safety. It so a good idea to check out this section of the park with at least 1-1/2 hours before sunset as driving in here in the dark is not the best idea and beside - you will miss all the fall colors for leaf season!

Fall Color Report for the Smoky Mountains

The Smoky Mountains have just entered the 2008 fall peak season for leaf color and what can only be described as perfect weather. While the higher elevations in Tennessee and North Carolina have been have been getting more and more colorful for the past 2 weeks, stunning fall colors have now started all around the Smokies.

To enjoy fall colors you just need to step outside or look at of any window in the Smoky Mountains. The depth of the peak autumn leaves can be found in the higher elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains national park along the Appalachian Trail and Mount Le Conte but to see these beautiful fall colors you only need to look up from anywhere in the Smokies.

To see these beautiful colors you can take a drive along Newfound Gap Road (441), the Foothills parkway off I-40, the Foothills Parkway west of Townsend, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and all of the major roads within the national park.

In Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville the views are already wonderful and the views from Bluff Mountain and Wears Valley are also breathtaking.

Hiking in the trails of the Great Smoky Mountains national park offer fantastic fall colors on every twist and turn. Brilliant reds, oranges and yellows glow in the sunlight with a backdrop of light and dark greens.

This picture is of the Bushy Mountain trail yesterday just above the Grotto Falls in the Roaring Fork section of the national park right outside the city of Gatlinburg. While the views of the trees with wonderful fall colors are great, look at the bight colors along the side of the hiking trails as well!

Other great places to see the vistas of the beautiful fall colors of 2008 is at Clingmans Dome at the end of Clingmans Dome Road of Newfound Gap Road and the Newfound Gap parking lot and the various pull offs on Newfound Gap Road.

Less traveled and also a great place to see fall colors in the Smoky Mountains is the Look Rock Tower which is only a short hike from the parking area on the Foothills Parkway west of Townsend.

Did we mention the Cades Cove valley in the Great Smoky Mountains national park? Stunning! The valley has fields that still have some wild flowers blooming and the fall colors are moving up the mountainsides.

The wildlife in Cades Cove is very active right now so you can get some great pictures of the deer frolicking around and maybe even a good picture or two of our local black bear.

For a very special treat in the Great Smoky Mountains the National park service is opening up a section of the Foothills Parkway that is normally closed this Saturday October 18th. To get there go to the Foothills Parkway interchange off U.S. 321 about 11 miles south of Maryville and you will directed by volunteers for this wonderful fall colors auto tour.

People looking to see the best fall colors in the Smoky Mountains can still rent a cabin in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville as there are still a few vacancies left. Rent a cabin within 7 days of check in and get a 10% discount for last minute cabin rentals for the fall color season!