Peak Fall Leaf Season in Cades Cove Part of the Great Smoky Mountains

There is no questioning that this weekend will be the peak leaf season for Cades Cove Tennessee, which is the most visited part of the most visited park in the United States: The Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Yesterday when driving around and hiking in Cades Cove you can clearly see that there are a few days to go before all the leaves colors into brilliant shades from the mountain peak to the valleys and even before getting to the valley, brilliant fall color can be seen on any road or trail in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Cades Cove Fall Peak Color

As you can see by the picture I just took in Cades Cove above, there is still plenty of green but also some very brilliant fall color!

We have not had any real precipitation for quite a while in the Smokies and the next 2 days we are guaranteed to get some. This should make what leaves are very green last longer on the trees and as long as the winds stay low, only blow of the poorer colored brown leaves so we can see the brighter fall colors in the trees even better.

Little River Road has some must see spots as soon as you leave the Gatlinburg Area on the way to see the fall color in Cades Cove. The fall color is at peak along the Laurel Falls Trail which is a very easy paved walkway up to a very pretty waterfall about 3 miles from the visitor center in the Sugarlands.

Just before the Laurel Falls parking area are 2 pull out parking areas with spectacular long range and short range views of the fall color. Be sure to get some pictures here!

When you leave Laurel Falls you go by Elkmont. While not quite yet peak in many areas of Elkmont, spots of the early fall color are already bare so while taking a few boulder shots here in the river would be nice, you do better to push on to Cades Cove where the color is much better.

Past the Metcalf Bottom Picnic area which will be on your right will be a parking area on the left for the waterfall area known as the Sinks. Unless there is no parking left, be sure to spot here and take a few pictures of the leaves and the waterfalls and boulders.

Watch for a rock wall on the left with parking about a 1/2 mile past the Sinks and you will be able to see Meigs Falls which I just took a video of yesterday. As you can see the yellows are getting brighter and so are the reds and oranges around it so by the weekend it will be stunning!

You may want to park along the Townsend Wye on the way to Cades Cove. This very photogenic spot will let you have some great pictures of fall color reflecting in the water along with rocks in the river and the rock wall.

As you continue toward Cades Cove you start to climb up to a Gap which has a pullout. The leaves are around here are just starting to hit peak fall color yesterday and should be great for the weekend.

Once you are in Cades Cove I would suggest taking the Loop Road around all 11 miles. Many of the cabins and churches are past peak, but just look up around the mountains and you will be able to see breathtaking fall color at its finest.

I would also suggest if your car can handle it to take Rich Mountain Road out of Cades Cove as you are then right in the best fall peak color of Cades Cove and can see great views when looking down into the valley.

Peak Leaf Color Season Dates In Cades Cove and the Great Smoky Mountains for 2012

Autumn in the Smokies is breathtaking at peak leaf season and it look like our predictions for 2012 fall peak color were right on target and better yet, the weather has so far been conducive to more great color which should be around into November!

Where should you go to see the best fall color right now? Right now, the fall color views are from the very highest elevations in the Great Smoky Mountains. For example , there is still color which can best be seen along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Foothills Parkway near Cosby and the Parkway near Walland and Townsend, and of course, all along Newfound Gap Road between Gatlinburg and Cherokee.

Just look at the picture of the fall color on Newfound Gap Road above taken yesterday at the Carlos Campbell overlook about 4 miles from the city limits of Gatlinburg Tennessee.

As you can see, there are still plenty of light greens and yellows higher up Mount Le Conte and out into the Greenbrier and Sugarlands valley so there will be plenty of color for weeks to come.

The drive is still nice along the highest parts of Newfound Gap Road US 441 where you can look down to the great color unfolding beneath you. You should be able to enjoy this spectacular view of the peak fall foliage in the Great Smoky Mountains national park for at least the next 2 weeks.

The best time to photograph the great fall color high up in either the Great Smoky Mountains national park or along the Blue Ridge Parkway with its entrance that is near the brand new Oconaluftee Visitor Center is the first hour and a half after sunrise and before sunset.

Another great place to catch sunrises and sunsets where you can look down on great peak fall color right now is along Clingmans Dome Road and especially at Clingmans Dome itself. The cloud formations along can be breathtaking, throw in some great Smokies fall foliage with bright color and perfect lighting and you have the picture of a lifetime.

Fall Peak Color in Cades Cove

Considered one of the most picturesque places in the Southeastern United States, Cades Cove is an incredibly popular placer to drive, hike or bike the 11 miles to see fantastic fall color. It is also a great place to see our famous black bear, white tail deer, turkey and a host of other wildlife.

Since Cades Cove ranges in elevation from around 1,400 feet on the valley floor to the more than 5,000 feet on some of the peaks that look down into the valley, the peak time to see fall color this year in Cades Code started more than a week ago and there will be very good color visible for the entire month of October.

Give yourself plenty of time to drive around Cades Cove during peak leaf season. The drive that normally takes an hour or 2 can now take 3 to 4 hours. Want to avoid the leaf peepers during peak season in Cades Cove? Come first thing in the morning on weekdays. Best bear sightings at that time too.

If you are looking to photograph great color in Cades Cove around the historical log cabins that dot the valley floor, the best color will start be around next weekend and may hold out for the rest of the month.

As you can see by the picture taken last night near Forge Creek Road in Cades Cove, only the early color changing trees have leaves in full color near the cabins.

Peak Leaf Season in Wears Valley
and The Brothers Cove Mountain Resort

Wears Valley is an area of the Smokies that borders the national park on the Tennessee side and is between both Pigeon Forge and Townsend TN, which is close to Cades Cove.

Both Wears Valley and Cades Cove are very similar concerning geography and when the leaf season falls at peak. The difference is Wears Valley is outside the national park so there are shops, restaurants and of course great cabins for rent in the Wears Valley area.

The most exclusive location in the Wears Valley area is the Brothers Cove resort. This secluded mountainside community looks out at Bluff Mountain, which is not yet at peak and runs from about 700 feet in elevation all the way up to 1,700 plus feet. Color is not in yet and the peak will be around 28th of October.

We will survey next the ridgeline communities such as Chalet Village, Ski Mountain and Ober Gatlinburg in Gatlinburg and Shields Mountain outside Pigeon Forge.

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