Day 5 of Wilderness Wildlife Week 2014 Schedule in Pigeon Forge Tennessee

Thank goodness Wilderness Wildlife Week takes place indoors at the LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge as another arctic blast hit the south and we here in the Smoky Mountains have not been spared.

Presently virtually all roads in the Great Smoky Mountains national park are closed due to snow and ice and even the visitor centers and park headquarters are not expected to be able to open on time even though there is a large event that was supposed to taking place today: the release of a new quarter honoring the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Our bold prediction is that none of the guided hikes will take place today in the GSMNP for Wilderness Wildlife Week and that is a real shame given that the Finley Cane and Alum Bluff hikes are some of my favorites and I many who were looking forward to the Cades Cove Photo trek as well. The guided bus tour of the History of Pigeon Forge should go on as planned.

Luckily Wilderness Wildlife Week mostly takes place in the warmth and comfort indoors and you do not need to leave the LeConte Center during the day for anything as it is all here.

I know it has been said before, but this is going to be another great day of lectures, musical performance and classed - all free of course - that make Wilderness Wildlife Week the amazing event that it is.

The must see and do events today include Learn About Bears Through Hands-On Activities presented by Kathy Sheppard of the Appalachian Bear Rescue organization, 15 Years of the Smokies' All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory by Todd Witcher which will amaze you and inspire you and Humorous Native American Stories presented by Lloyd Arneach.

There is another chance to learn how to play the Mountain Dulcimer and jam with others and the Boogertown Gap band will play again.

Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule
Day 5: Wednesday, January 29th 2014

• 9 – 10am: The Art of Dowsing. Limited to 30 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Charles Monday. Taking place at room South 1.
• 9 – 10am: Returning the Whooping Crane to the Eastern Flyway Slide Presentation. Presented by Ken Dubke. Taking place at room South 2.
• 9:30 – 10:30am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Reelfoot Lake: Tennessee’s Earthquake Lake. Presented by David Haggard. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 9:30 – 10:30am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Conservation Efforts at Pogue Creek State Natural Area. Presented by Travis Bow. Taking place at room South 3.
• 9:30 – 11:30am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Make Your Own Wilderness Wildlife Week 2014 Bandana. Limited to 20 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Louise Bales. Taking place at room South 4B.
• 9:30 – 12:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Painting the Smokies. Limited to 18, ages 18 and older and you must pre-register at Information Desk. Participants must bring own #6 or #8 flat brush. Presented by Dick Ensing of Dutchman’s Loft. Taking place at room South 4A.
• 10 – 11 am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! To Niagara and Back by Waterfall Slide Presentation. Presented by Bill Carter. Taking place at room North 2.
• 10:30 – 11:30am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! 60 Years of Supporting Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Presented by the Great Smoky Mountains Association. Taking place at room North 3.
• 10:30 – 11:30am: Energy, Effort and Passion: Volunteering in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Presented by Christine Hoyer who runs the GSMNP Volunteers in the Parks. Taking place at room South 2.
• 11 – Noon: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Amazing Trees of Tennessee. Presented by Flo Moore. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 11 – Noon: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! The Rev. Robert Hall, Bishop of the Cumberlands Monologue. Presented by Will Rabert as he takes on the role of Robert Hall, the Bishop of the Cumberlands and founder of the Cumberland Mountain School for plateau children. Taking place at room South 1.
• 11 – 12:30pm: Journey on the Camino de Santiago, Part 1 (2011). Presented by Olga Pader. Taking place at room South 3.
• 11:30 – 12:30pm: Concert by the Carolina Bluegrass Boys Featuring the Appalachian Cloggers. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• Noon – 1pm: 15 Years of the Smokies’ All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. Presented by Todd Witcher. Taking place at room North 3.
• Noon – 1pm: Better Flower Pictures. Presented by Bob Stephenson. Taking place at room South 2.
• 12:30 – 1:30pm: Our Smokies Heritage! The Story of Greenbrier Cove. Presented by Glenn Cardwell. Taking place at room North 2.
• 12:30 – 1:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Camera Basics 101: Understanding Your Camera’s Adjustments Used in the Manual. Presented by Douglas Hubbard Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 1 – 2pm: Alligators, Bears and Wolves. Presented by Jim W. Wigginton. Taking place at room South 3.
• 1 – 2pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Get Growing! Keep Sevier Beautiful. Participants which are limited to 30 and must pre-register at Information Desk, will make a planter from common recyclable's to take home along with seeds and soil. Taking place at room South 4B.
• 1:15 – 2:15 pm: Our Smokies Heritage! Smoky Mountain Ballads, Part 1. Presented by Boogertown Gap. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 1:30 – 2:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Black Bear Cubs Video Presentation. Presented by Kate Marshall. Taking place at room North 3.
• 1:30 – 2:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Miracle of the Monarch. Presented by Lois English and Glenna Julian. Taking place at room South 2.
• 1:30 – 3:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Playing Mountain Dulcimer by Ear and Playing in Jam Sessions. Participants must bring own mountain dulcimers and there is a Limited to of 20 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Tim Simek. Taking place at room South 4A.
• 2 – 3pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Cherokee History: Both Sides of the Smokies. Presented by Jon Elder. Taking place at room North 2.
• 2 – 3pm: The Art of Dowsing. Limited to 30 so you must pre-register at the Information Desk. Presented by Charles Monday. Taking place at room South 1.
• 2 – 3:30pm: Civil War in the West, 1863. Presented by Jack Carman of Wildflowers of Tennessee. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 2:30 – 3:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Plants and Animals Important to the Native Americans. Presented by Stephen Lyn Bales of the Ijams Nature Center. Taking place at room South 3.
• 3 – 4pm: A Ranger Family’s Recollections. Presented by Joe Kelley and Sons. Taking place at room North 3.
• 3 – 4pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! America’s First Ladies. Presented by Kathy Gwinn. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 3 – 4pm: Wild Ones among Us. Presented by Lynne McCoy. Taking place at room South 2.
• 3:30 – 4:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Murder and Baseball in Sevier County, 1949-1953. Presented by Robert S. Allen. Taking place at room North 2.
• 4 – 5pm: Special Kids Track. Learn About Bears Through Hands-On Activities. Limited to 20 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Kathy Sherrard of the Appalachian Bear Rescue. Taking place at room South 4A.
• 4:30 – 5:30pm: Our Smokies Heritage! Margaret Steverson: The Walkingest Woman in the Smokies. Presented by Bill Deitzer. Taking place at room North 3.
• 4:30 – 5:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! New Joints for Old Hikers! Presented by Joel and Kathy Zachry of Great Outdoors! Adventure Travel. Taking place at room South 2.
• 4:30 – 6pm: My Experience Through-Hiking the John Muir Trail Video Presentation. Presented by Bert Kunze. Taking place at room South 3.
• 5 – 6pm: Our Smokies Heritage! Vintage Views Video Presentation. Presented by Kevin Tierney Taking place at room North 2.
• 5 – 6pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Humorous Native American Stories. Presented by Lloyd Arneach. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 5:30 – 6:30pm: Concert by Carolina Bluegrass Boys Featuring the Appalachian Cloggers. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 6 pm: Friday Hike Signups Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 6:30 – 7:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! The Meanderings of a Silly Man: The Extremes. Presented by Doug Mills. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 7:45pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! From the Heart of Appalachia: Even More Heartland Stories and Adventures. Presented by Bill Landry. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Guided Hikes

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 1

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 2

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 3

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 4

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 5

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 6

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 7

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 7

Day 4 of Wilderness Wildlife Week 2014 Schedule in Pigeon Forge Tennessee

Yesterday Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge was a lot of fun and today the 4th day of the show should be as well. The only disappointment was the cancelled outdoor activities specially the guided hikes in the Great Smoky Mountain national park.

Those that did get out took some spectacular pictures which I was shown last night and many will have to opportunity to go out again today as more roads have reopened, though up to an inch more of snow may fall today as well.

One of the programs I missed which was a bog hit yesterday was teaching you how to make a better habitat in your garden for wildlife. I also got to see people wearing the Wilderness Wildlife Week bandanas they made earlier in the morning.

The hot Wilderness Wildlife Week programs taking place today are the Art of Dowsing which has been fun every year and it seems to work! Also Basic Photography with Jim Eastin, How to Interview a Tree by Flo Moore and Tennessee's Birds of Prey presented by David Haggard.

Boogertown Gap will have another program this afternoon you won't want to miss and I beg all of you to be sure to catch former park range Kim Delozier present Bears, Boars and Bulls: A Wild Life in the Smokies.

Let's hope the weather cooperates for you hikers and though more cold weather will follow this week, the next 3 days there should be no more snow.

Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule
Day 4: Tuesday, January 28th 2014

• 8:30 – 9:30am: Green Power Switch. Presented by Lucas Harkleroad. Taking place at room North 2.
• 9 – 10am: Freed Osprey Restoration Slide Presentation. Presented by Ken Dubke. Taking place at room South 2.
• 9:30 – 10:30am: Civil War in the West, 1861. Presented by Jack Carman of Wildflowers of Tennessee. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 9:30 – 10:30am: The Art of Dowsing. Limited to 30 so you just pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Charles Monday. Taking place at room South 1.
• 9:30 – 12:30pm: Basket Making. Limited to 10 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Theresa Tyler. Taking place at room South 4B.
• 10 – 11am: Our Smokies Heritage! Meet Mr. Herbert Clabo. Presented by Herbert Clabo with Veta King. Taking place at room North 2.
• 10 – 11am: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen. Presented by Rosemary Deitzer. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 10 – 11am: To Be Announced. Presented by Rick and Rhonda Goins of the Bays Mountain Park. Taking place at room South 3. 10:30 – Noon: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Carving a Bear Pin. Limited to 12 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Must bring own sharpened wood carving tools. Presented by Don Taylor. Taking place at room South 4A.
• 11 – Noon: Waterfalls of Tennessee Slide Presentation. Presented by Bill Carter. Taking place at room North 3.
• 11 – Noon: Special Kids Track. Wild World of Animals. Presented by Knoxville Zoo’s Zoomobile. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 11 – Noon: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Outdoor Recreation: Alternatives to Hiking. Presented by Mark Kilgore from the Bays Mountain Park. Taking place at room South 2.
• 11:30 – 12:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Basic Photography. Presented by Jim Eastin. Taking place at room South 2.
• 12:30 – 1:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Totally Tennessee, Part 2: A Sampler of Tennessee Trivia That’s Anything But Trivial. Presented by Kathy Gwinn. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 12:30 – 1:30pm: Where’s Mommy? Rehabilitating Orphaned Wildlife. Presented by Phylis Rollins. Taking place at room South 2.
• 12:30 – 1:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Wire Wrapping a River Stone Pendent. Participants will wire wrap a local river stone to make a pendant to keep as a Wilderness Wildlife Week souvenir. Limited to 12 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by LaDonna Twyman of the Jim Gray Gallery. Taking place at room South 4A.
• 1 – 2pm: Mountain Marvels: Waterfalls of the Southern Appalachians Slide Presentation. Presented by Bill Carter. Taking place at room North 3.
• 1 – 2pm: Our Smokies Heritage! Old Time Dessert Tasting. Limited to 100 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Veta King. Taking place at room North 2.
• 1 – 2pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Storytelling: Stories and Songs of Growing Up in Appalachia. Presented by Tony Thomas. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 1 – 2pm: The Art of Dowsing. Limited to 30 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Charles Monday Taking place at room South 1.
• 1 – 2:30pm: Civil War in the West, 1862. Presented by Jack Carman of Wildflowers of Tennessee. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 1:30 – 2:30pm: Air Quality Update for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Presented by Jim Renfro. Taking place at room South 3.
• 1:30 – 2:30pm: How to Make a Quill Pen. Limited to 14 to adults only and you must pre-register at Information Desk. Participants must bring sharp penknife or x-acto blade. Presented by Pat K Thomas. Taking place at room South 4B.
• 2 – 3pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Who Are You? How to Interview a Tree. Presented by Flo Moore. Join Flo as she teaches ways to recognize common Tennessee trees in the summer or winter forest. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 2 – 3pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Lilies of the Appalachians, Past and Present Video Presentation. Presented by Kate Marshall. Taking place at room South 2.
• 2 – 3pm: Special Kids Track. Whoo Did That: Fascinating Owls. Limited to 20 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Lynne McCoy. Taking place room South 4A.
• 2:30 – 3:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Keeping Your Forest Healthy. Presented by Glenn Taylor. Taking place at room North 3.
• 2:30 – 3:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Music of Our American Roots. Presented by Lost Mill String Band. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 3 – 4pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Uncle Isaac (Ike) Bradley. Presented by Bill Bradley. Taking place at room North 2.
• 3 – 4pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Tennessee’s Birds of Prey. Presented by David Haggard. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 3 – 4pm: Tennessee Butterflies and How to Raise Them. Presented by Lois English. Taking place at room South 3.
• 3:30 – 4:00pm: Beginning Clogging. Limited to 20 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Jack and Doris Patton. Taking place at room South 4B.
• 3:30 – 4:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! The Wilderness Helped the War Effort of World War II: The Building of Fontana Dam. Presented by Bob Keim. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 3:30 – 4:30pm: Creating and Telling Family Stories. Presented by Jim Eastin Taking place at room South 2.
• 4 – 5 pm: Special Kids Track. Animal Olympics. Limited to 25 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Mike Meldrum. Taking place at room South 4A.
• 4 – 5:30pm: Our Smokies Heritage! Smoky Mountain Inhabitants and Their Music. Presented by Boogertown Gap. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 4:15 – 4:45 pm: Beginning Clogging. Limited to 20 so you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by Jack and Doris Patton. Taking place at room South 4B.
• 4:30 – 5:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Ranger Work in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the 1960s. Presented by Joe Kelley Taking place at room North 3.
• 4:30 – 5:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! ABR: Giving Bears a Second Chance. Presented by Joel and Kathy Zachry of Great Outdoors! Adventure Travel. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section B.
• 5 – 6 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! The Blue Mountains Sing. Presented by Ron Rader. Taking place at room North 2.
• 5:30 – 6:30pm: Bears, Boars and Bulls: A Wild Life in the Smokies. Presented by E. Kim Delozier. Taking place at room South 3.
• 5:45 – 6:45pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Appalachia: Can You Hear It? Presented by Tony Thomas. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 6 pm: Thursday Hike Signups Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section C.
• 7 – 8pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program about our Smokies Heritage! Concert by Jimbo Whaley and Greenbrier. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.
• 8:15pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program! Concert by Dave Adkins and Republik Steele. Taking place at the Greenbrier Hall Section A.

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Guided Hikes

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 1

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 2

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 3

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 4

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 5

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 6

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 7

2014 Wilderness Wildlife Week Schedule for Day 7

Fall Color for October 21st 2013 in the Great Smoky Mountains

Last night was another cool night and tonight it will dip into the 40s again and the cool weathers timing is perfect as the leaves are just starting to change in the lower elevations and is in peak higher up.

In an around Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg it was bright and sunny and in the mid 60s today with no real traffic what so ever compared to the weekends in fall. Many restaurants did even have lines.

Cades Cove remained busy today with a moderate flow of well moving traffic except for the 3 black bear jams. You can tell the bear are desperate to fatten up as one was working the trees in the first field near the horse stables and another by the exit of Cades Cove Loop Road in the middle of the day. It isn't often you get to see black bear so easily in the middle of the day in Cades Cove when it is not raining.

Bears need to fatten up now in the fall before they slow down for the winter and these bear were working the cherry, oak trees as well as the Persimmon trees whose fruit will be much sweeter after the first frost.

Little River Road and Laurel Creek Road all still all leafed in boasting various shades of green and some yellows with an occasional red.

Even the waterfall by the Sinks has yet to color in, but with near or at freezing temps for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night, you can be assured that the bright color is right around the corner.

Fall color has crept further down on Rich Mountain, Cove Mountain, and Mount LeConte with the brightest color up high still a few days away. The view from Clingmans Dome was wonderful.

 

The hiking trails were fabulous from Greenbrier to Tremont and even the very busiest trails such as the Little River Trail pictured above today were still quiet and peaceful.

As you walked along the trails, you hear the rustling leaves underfoot and the bright blue sky set off the color in the leaves in the trees above or on vines growing on the trees like the flame red Virginia creepers.

Deer were out on 3 trails which is fairly unusual that they are so brave in the Smokies. They now have their darker grayish winter coats and like the bears are looking to take advantage of the few easy acorns left to find.

The squirrels are sill chattering at one another as they do in the fall and they are in a mad rush to make the most of what's left of the red oak and white oak acorns littering the forest floor.

It doesn't just look, feel and sound like fall, it smells like fall too. In the daytime you can smell the fresh leaves and in the evening, those lucky enough to have a wood burning fireplace are making themselves cozy in front of it while that wonderful smell of seasoned wood burning is in the air.

The exciting part is, we know it is just going to keep getting nicer and nicer day by day as the fall peak runs from the mountain peaks into the valleys.

If you haven't booked a cabin to come and enjoy the fall peak season, don't even bother trying to this weekend as any good unit is already booked.

If you are smart, take advantage of a last minute deal during the week when the traffic is light, trails are emptier, restaurants have no wait and you can still get a great deal and see what could be the best peak fall leaf season in years!

Fall Color Report for 2013 Leaf Season in the Great Smoky Mountains

Right on time in the Smokies we have seen fall color in some random trees and bushes such as sourwood and dogwood for the past 2 weeks, and yellows in hardwoods such as oaks above 5,000 feet for more than a week.

Late summer and early fall have been a mixed bag between dryer than normal on the Tennessee side and wetter than normal on the North Carolina side. This very strange combination has mean for a bumper crop of apples, but lousy acorns due to the stress.

The fact that we have good apples has us very excited as that is usually a good indication of a great autumn for color. The fact that the acorn crop is light means that the bears will be moving around looking more for food to fatten up for the winter.

The great news for leaf peepers looking to enjoy a both long colorful fall leaf season in the Smokies is that stressed trees and bushes often produce the best fall color. The trick is not to have too much stress which can cause a tree to go from green to brown and dropping its leaves within a day or 2.

Fall Leaf Season along Newfound Gap Road

To get the best fall leaf color possible, just as the leaf is turning off sugar production, you want a cold snap to convert the sugars in leaves such as maples into bright reds and hot oranges. Not enough cold and when the green goes, all what remains are yellows - still a very pretty sight.

Some places have many of the same species of tree or bush at the same elevation with the same exposure. When this is the case, you get a mass of basically the same color all at once. The peak leaf season in that case may only be a few days, but it can be quite spectacular.

The Smokies on the other hand vary greatly in both diversity and environment. Just go to Gatlinburg and look up at Mount LeConte and you are looking at more than mile in elevation gain - the most dramatic elevation change east of the Mississippi.

You also do not have 10, or 20 different species of trees growing in the Great Smoky Mountains, you have more than 100. There are more local native tree species growing in the Smokies - most of which produce color in the fall - than there are in the entire European continent!

The timing on all the trees as to when they shut off their leaves and produce the bright colors that remain in the leaves are all different. Even for the same species of tree, since elevations, canopy cover, soil types and conditions vary so much, so does the peak leaf season for each species of tree in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Since we have hundreds of different trees with different leaf colors in the fall peaking at different times, you can see that coming to the Smokies in autumn to see the leaves change; you have a window of 2 to 3 weeks minimum when the leaf color is great.

Bad weather conditions such as an extreme drought, or a huge wind storm or rainstorm that blows down leaves can reduce this window by a week, great conditions such as light moisture when needed, light winds and real cool nights to process the sugars can extend a peak leaf season to 4 or more weeks of color.

To time peak fall color in the Smokies it depends on where you want to see it peak. Even then it is part science and park art. We all know for example that folk legends such as the position and width of the bands on our wooly caterpillars is not an accurate predictor of how cold it will be during the winter. A coin toss works even better on average!

The biggest variable is weather conditions as to when the peak begins. Leaves turn off their green color which is chlorophyll and become colorful as both light and the temperature changes. When the days become shorter, less light means less sugar is produced triggering a fall shutdown of the Chlorophyll producing parts of the leaves. Continuous bright sunny days mean that the fall season will start later and thus peak later.

Darker, cloudy and rainy day's make plants start turning into fall colors faster, thus moving the peak season start and end sooner. With all this going on, temperature has an effect too so you can see since weather patterns can change real fast in the mountains, what can look like a late peak season can turn into a normal fall peak season in days.

Right now we are just starting to peak at the highest elevations which are generally only producing yellows at around 5,000 feet. Higher points such as along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the 6,000 foot range are seeing bright reds in some bushes and trees. If you are high up and looking down along the higher ridge lines, the fall colors including reds and oranges will really start to pop by next weekend.

Most people do not have the ability to be along higher ridge lines so the fall color when it moves to the middle and lower ridges will offer both better fall color long range views as the ability to be closer at the mid line where you will find many cabins and scenic pullouts so you can see the leaves with their fall colors up close in person.

The best time to enjoy peak season fall color in Cades Cove is right about when the mid range comes into color. For some reason the valley does not hold color long and f you wait too long for it to creep down the mountain, the tops of the mountains around Cades Cove are already done.

Cataloochee and the bald at Max Patch are at least a week earlier to fall peak leaf season than the lower parts of Tennessee such as Cades Cove.

Of course the best you can ask for is when the tops are at the tail end of peak, the mid and low elevations are at peak and there is a dusting of snow up top. If you are lucky enough to catch this, the contrast is thrilling and makes for postcards perfect pictures.

Long range forecasts today show the possibility of a dusting of snow in high altitudes on the 20th, 24th, 25th and the 31st. For most of this week we are expecting highs in 70's, and for the rest of the month in the 60's.

If you are coming here for a visit to see fall colors during October, pack warm clothes if you plan on going to the upper parts of Newfound Gap Road or on the Blue Ridge Parkway which is open all the way through to Virginia as we already have had lows up there in the 40's for days.

As long as the rain predicted for the 16th and the 17th is a gentle, long, soaking rain, some of the tail end of the fall color in hardwoods such as red oaks will still be visible in the Great Smoky Mountains and valleys such as in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg into November. In 2005, reds were still nice the second week in November.

The best bet to be sure to see the best fall colors in the Smokies is the 3rd week in October, you might not have full great color in the hardwoods and valleys, but you will be sure to have the mid elevations very bright and colorful. Even if a huge storm blows through, there will still be fresh fall color peaking everyday further on down below every few days.

First 2013 Fall Leaf Season Predication for the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee

First it was a random a leaf changing color in our dense Smoky Mountain forests, then it was the blackberries and blueberries no longer on the bushes in my favorite picking spots.

Now just as the days are just starting to get shorter the sounds of fall could be heard with the first bugling sounds of our elk. Fall in the Great Smoky Mountains is right around the corner!

Predicting how long a leaf season will be, when the fall color will start, when the peak of the 2013 leaf season in the Great Smoky Mountains is, how brilliant the colors will be and how long it will last is far from an exact science. What our leaf season predictions must be based upon is previous historical norms as a start.

Last year spring in the Smoky Mountains came more than 3 weeks earlier than normal for wildflowers and some of our insects in the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg area. Unfortunately for our migratory birds and some of our plants, the birds came when they normally do so some of the food sources they were expecting were not here.

This spring in the Smokies was another story as it was about 1 to 2 weeks later than normal throughout much of the Tennessee Mountains. Besides a late spring, we had one of the wettest summers on record.

This summer with all that rain the streams were full and the waterfalls were astonishing with huge flows of water cascading over the moss covered rocks. The forests and fields that are normally lush seemed impossibly green with the some of the best flower displays in years.

All of that rain and more moderate temperatures than most years started huge growth bursts, awesome for the forests, not much so for crops like our locally grown tomatoes and watermelons which split because they were growing too fast.

Though most of our vegetables suffered from too much water, the reports coming in this week from the local apple farmers look like we will have one of the best crops in years! Though we will lose some our apple trees from too much water, those that survived are producing a bumper crop of great fruit.

So why and I telling you about apple crops and not the 2013 fall leaf season and when the leaves will change color? Very simply, more often than not, the quality of apples most often is an indication of the quality of the leaf season in terms of how long the leaves can last and how bright the colors will be.

Since everything is on target for great leaf season with great fall color in the Smokies, what we just need now is for the weather to continue favorable conditions. If the conditions cooperate, this could be one of the best falls seasons in many years.

As fall starts and the days become shorter we can uses what the weatherman is predicting for the next week to continue. Altering bright sunny skies with moderate temperatures and a little moisture each day is what it will take to make the leaves bright and stay on the trees as long as possible.

Since the Smokies vary by more than 5,000 feet from the lowest valley to the top of Clingmans Dome - the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Between the elevation variations which can mean a change in temperature of 10 degrees or more and the various exposures between open fields and dense forests, fall peak should stretch out this year by more than 3 weeks if you know where to go.

If were continue to be blessed with the right temperatures and moisture as we have been the past few months, we are looking at a stellar 2013 leaf season in the Smoky Mountains starting in late September and the last of the fall leaves will be falling in November.

Let's just hope this fall leaf peeping season for 2013 continues to be as good as we expect it to be. Keep your eyes open for further updates!

Dolly Parton and Her Huge News about the Dollywood Theme Park in the Smokies!

When you think about the Great Smoky Mountains, of course you think about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After all more than 9,000,000 people a year come to the park, but did you know that more than 2,000,000 people each and every year now come to the Dollywood Theme Park too?

Since 1986, close to 30 years, Dolly Parton's Theme Park Dollywood in the Tennessee Smokies set the standards for clean, safe, family friendly fun, just like the Disney theme parks in California and Florida.

When you add in Dolly's Splash Country Water Park next to Dollywood and the fabulous unique dinner show Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge, you have entertained more than additional 1,000,000 people, many of which keep coming back every year.

As staggering as those figures are, what Dolly Parton just announced today makes all of those numbers seem quite small in comparison. How does a $300,000,000.00 investment in the Dollywood Theme Park and new 300 room resort sound? Intriguing? Exciting? Truly amazing!

Since opening day, the Dollywood theme Park wins award after award. This is no backwoods carnival, but a true world class amusement park and destination for young and old from around the world. Just last year Dollywood was awarded the distinction of having the friendliest hosts of any theme park in the world.

Get ready to be able to enjoy the first major improvement made this with 300 million dollar investment this spring when the exciting new FireChaser Express dual-launch "family-style" roller coaster. This amazing new roller coaster launches both forward and backward as it winds along the 2,427-foot track.

What makes this coaster also very unique is that takes riders 39 inches and taller from zero to 20 miles-per-hour in 1.1 seconds and when it reaches the end of the track, goes backward from 0 to 20 mph in 1.1 seconds back to the coasters starting point! The FireChaser Express Roller Coaster is slated to open in March of 2014.

Of course the Dollywood Theme Park has so much more to do already for young and old alike. Great Roller Coasters, adventure rides of all shapes and sizes, zip lining, live shows indoors and out, traditional artisans blowing glass, blacksmithing, and so much more.

Wait! Don't forget all the great water rides, splash zone, street performances, museums, eagle aviary, delectable mouth watering food and drinks and that all before you even get to the Splash Country Water Park!

Tourism in the Great Smoky Mountains has grown up quite a bit since Dolly Parton came back home and created Dollywood in the same type of hills and hollers and just a stone throw from where she was born and raised. Entertaining millions of guests a year in a family friendly safe environment is what she wanted to provide, and that is just what she got.

There is no better way to enjoy Dollywood and explore the Great Smoky Mountains in privacy with all the peace and quiet you deserve on your vacation than from renting a secluded cabin close to Dollywood. Not only will you have lots of room, your own hot tub, fireplace, outdoor decks with breathtaking views, game rooms and so much.

The price of a cabin rental is about the same as a decent hotel and look at how much more you get! Do you really think you have enough privacy and space in a hotel room? Is there enough to do if the weather turns bad and you are stuck inside with the kids? Of course not. Renting a log cabin style vacation is no longer a luxury but a wise investment so that your vacation can be the best ever no matter what!

When you are on vacation, do you have any desire to wait in long lines in a restaurant to pay about $10 a person for some eggs, toast, bacon or sausage, juice and coffee and have a view of seeing dozens of other people eating or would you have to enjoy a home cooked breakfast for far less sitting on your own deck with a stunning view? Easy choice right? Nothing like having your own full kitchen and even a BBQ grill in the Smokies!

To make a good deal even better, when you stay in one of the American Mountain Rentals Cabins or in the luxurious Brothers Cove Resort not too far away, you not only get a great deal on a cabin rental, you even qualify to be able to buy the cheapest discounted Dollywood and Splash Country Theme Park Tickets!

If for some reason you insist in staying in a hotel to enjoy the Dollywood Theme Park we suggest you wait until the park's 30th anniversary in 2015 when Dollywood's DreamMore Resort is set to open. The resort will have 300 rooms, an indoor and outdoor resort pool, spa, and a full-service farmhouse-style restaurant.

The Dollywood DreamMore Resort may not be a cabin rental with tons of space and privacy but it will have fire pits, swings and hammocks, and story spots scattered throughout the grounds and will surely live up to the high expectations we all have.

While a 300 million dollar investment spread over 10 years sounds likes a tremendous commitment which it is, Dollywood, which is the biggest ticketed attraction in the state of Tennessee is committed to further expansion and improvements with plans already stretching out for the next 25 years!

Come to the Smokies and see what all the fuss is about. You won't be disappointed!

Cabins for rent by the Dollywood Theme Park

Great Smoky Mountains Elkmont Firefly Watchers to Invade this June!

It happens every year in the Smokies and it doesn't happen anywhere else in the world like this. The invasion. It may not be the British invasion of the 60's, but beetles are involved in this one as well. The synchronous fireflies of the Smokies are coming…The synchronous fireflies of the Smokies are coming!

To say that the sight of a Smokies firefly blinking in perfect harmony with thousands of other lightning bugs all around you is a true miracle of nature is not an exaggeration. Scientists have been coming here from around the world to study our extremely rare fireflies and though they know much about these little creatures, the ability to control the synchronized flashing lights is still a mystery.

Other than a small area in Asia that has a different lightning bug that flashes in the trees synchronized, no other fireflies around the world can do this like ours in the Smoky Mountains can.

The synchronous firefly Photinus carolinus is not alone in the Great Smoky Mountains as there are actually 18 other species that we know of, but only this one flashes in unison, thousands of them at a time!

While this amazing firefly is so rare, it can be found in staggeringly huge numbers in section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee just a few minutes from Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

So many people came to this small place every year for the 2 weeks that this display of flashing lights happens, that a shuttle service had to be arranged in order to fit as many people as possible safely and comfortably.

Until last year if you wanted to see the fireflies in Elkmont during the peak mating season when they flash, you would have to park at the Sugarlands Visitor Center Parking area just outside the city limits of Gatlinburg Tennessee.

You would then wait in line for hours hoping that there was space on the shuttle for you. Many people were turned away everyday as only about 1,000 people per night could be accommodated.

Last years in 2012 the system changed so that you must reserve a parking pass in advance for $1.50 a car and then up to 6 people from that car are able to buy a round trip ticket to see the fireflies in Elkmont for $1 a person.

While the new reservation system for the firefly shuttles worked far better, a problem last year was that the fireflies were just about done with their mating a full 2 weeks earlier than normal when the shuttle were running. Wildflowers were also blooming about 2 - 3 weeks earlier than normal as well due to exceptionally warm weather in the winter.

This year the wildflowers, trees, migrating birds and insects in the Great Smoky Mountains are about a week behind normal so the shuttles are scheduled to run from June 6th through June 13th a time right in line with previous peak flashing seasons.

The early reservations sold out within hours and now the only parking passes so you can ride the firefly shuttle are being sold on a first come first served bases the day before departure. With only 85 passes a day to be sold, we expect them to be sold out in minutes every day they become available.

If all this sounds like too much of a hassle, or if you missed out and the tickets are gone, all is not lost. There are a few places where the fireflies can be seen before, during and after the main display in Elkmont.

As a matter of fact, there are even cabins that you can rent where you will be able to see the synchronous fireflies right from your deck or just a short distance on private property you and other guest have access to. No crowds, no lines and no fees!

The Brothers Cove Log Cabin Resort community happens to be one of those magical places in the Smokies where you can find the synchronous fireflies because it has everything the little critters like: a very wooded natural environment with small creeks and even large open fields. Brothers Cove is also tucked in a mountain far away from the lights of Pigeon Forge which makes the firefly show that much better.

Besides Brothers Cove, there are other places in the Great Smoky Mountains national park where you can catch the fireflies away from the crowds. If you are willing to hike in for a distance, park your car at the Cades Cove orientation shelter and walk right in. Fireflies can be seen in the fields, on Sparks Lane, by the Abrams Falls Trailhead and Hyatt Lane.

Don't feel like walking far? They can be seen in Tremont which is between Townsend and Cades Cove also at around the same time of the year. Coming later? Mid to late June they can be found if you park your car at one of the pull outs along Clingmans Dome Road. Since it is up higher the season starts later.

There are other places outside the park in Wears Valley, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge that these true miracles of God's creation can be found!

Synchronized Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains

Day 1 of 2013 Wilderness Wildlife Week today in the Pigeon Forge Smoky Mountains

Every year people gather for a week in the Great Smoky Mountains called Wilderness Wildlife Week to hike, sing, tell stories, show off their crafts and teach others about the beauty, history and passion evoked by the Smokies of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.

This gathering takes place in downtown Pigeon Forge where old friends meet and new ones are made while everyone participates in one of the best kept secrets of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Since the free classes fill so quickly as well as the roster on the guided hikes that take place in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the city of Pigeon Forge as well as others do not really promote the event heavily as it is always at or over capacity to begin with so expect far more locals than people from out of town at Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge Tennessee.

This year as always the Wilderness Wildlife Week programs take place at:
Music Road Hotel and Convention Center
303 Henderson Chapel Road
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 37863

• 8:00am - 11:00am: Learn to Use Map and Compass. Presented by: Terry and LaValla Edgington in the Harp Room. Since there is a limit of 50 participants you must pre-register at Information Desk.
• 8:30am - 9:30am: Photo Editing for Free. Presented by: Jim Eastin in the Ukulele Room.
• 8:30am - 10:30am: Fly Fishing the Smokies. Presented by: Greg Ward in the Violin Room.
• 9:00am - 10:00am: The Serpent Handlers. Presented by: Fred Brown in the Dobro Room.
• 9:00am - 1:00pm: Nature Photography Workshop. Presented by: Kendall Chiles, Daniel Dempster, Tom and Pat Cory and Harold Stinnette in the Guitar Room.
• 9:00am - 1:00pm: Photo Exhibit Entry Submission in the Cello Room. You must use an entry form for each photo entry submitted.
• 10:00am - 12:00pm: Beginning Mountain Dulcimer. Presented by the TNT Dulcimers (Deby Libby, Ginny Cliett and Linda Smith) in the Ukulele Room. Since there is a limit of 25 participants and a Limited number of dulcimers available, you must pre-register at Information Desk. Observers are welcome.
• 10:30am - 11:30am: Rock Formations in the Smokies. Presented by: Harry Moore in the Dobro Room.
• 11:00am - Noon: Introduction to the Mandolin. Presented by: Tony Thomas in the Violin Room.
• 11:30am - 12:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program: Peter’s Escape from Communist East Germany. presented by: Peter Seifert in the Harp Room.
• 11:30am: Sunday Hike Signups at Holiday Inn Express.
• 12:30pm - 1:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Smoky Mountain Ballads, Part One performed by the Boogertown Gap in the Violin Room.
• 1:00pm - 2:00pm: Discovering October Roads Video Presentation. Presented by: Fred Brown and Harry Moore in the Dobro Room.
• 1:00pm - 2:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Pilgrimage: A Pathway to Discovery presented by: J. Greg Johnson in the Ukulele Room.
• 1:00pm - 2:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Take A Hike Safely with the Right Gear While Practicing Leave No Trace Guidelines. Presented by: Bill Deitzer, Mike Braun and Pamela Rodgers in the Harp Room.
• 1:00pm - 3:00pm: Stream Stocked Trout Fishing. Presented by: Greg Ward in the Breakfast Room.
• 1:30pm - 2:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. A Smokies Murder Mystery: "Murder at the Jumpoff". Presented by: Jenny Bennett in the Guitar Room. Jenny will discuss how her interest in off-trail hiking led her to write her novel of which excerpts will also be read.
• 2:00pm - 3:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Kids Program! Bear’s First Year Video Presentation. Presented by: Kate Marshall in the Violin Room.
• 2:30pm - 3:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Learning to See Photographically. Presented by: Bill Fortney in the Dobro Room.
• 2:30pm - 3:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Horace Kephart’s Wild Camp Cookery. Presented by: Ila Hatter in the Ukulele Room. Join Ila as she covers Kephart’s personal experiences and his curiosity about the wilderness leaves a legacy of wild foods and cooking techniques.
• 3:00pm - 4:00pm: Avent Cabin. The inhabitants, heritage and folklore of this historic Smoky Mountain cabin near Elkmont. Presented by: Carroll McMahan in the Harp Room.
• 3:00pm - 4:00pm: Searching for Panthers in the Smokies. Presented by: Dr. Don Linzey in the Guitar Room.
• 3:30pm - 4:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Kids Program that you must pre-register at Information Desk! Garbage Pizza: Keep Sevier Beautiful in the Breakfast Room.
• 3:30pm - 5:00pm: The White Caps and Blue Bills: stories of some of Sevier County’s most heinous shootouts, whippings, night-rides, trials, hangings and the unheralded heroism of men and women who fought to bring an end to this era of vigilantism, violence and intrigue that approached fever pitch in the 1890s. . Presented by: Don Williams in the Violin Room.
• 4:00pm - 5:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. The "3D" Tour is songs and stories of Miss Dolly Parton as she grew up in these mountains. Presented by: Dolly, Duke and Davy: Hills-N-Hollows in the Dobro Room.
• 4:00pm - 5:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. The Beauty and History of Switzerland Video presentation. Presented by: Shannon Harris in the Ukulele Room.
• 4:30pm - 5:30pm: Tennessee in 1863: A Sesquicentennial Commemoration of the Civil War. Presented by: Chris Tipton in the Harp Room.
• 4:30pm - 5:30pm: The Bone Hunters: The Discovery of beautifully preserved Miocene Age terrestrial animals in Gray, TN. Presented by: Harry Moore in the Guitar Room.
• 5:00pm - 7:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Basic Watercolor. Since there is a limit of 12, you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by: Louise Bales in the Breakfast Room.
• 5:30pm - 6:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Chattanooga Scenic International Photo Exhibition (SCIPE). Presented by: Pat Gordy in the Ukulele Room.
• 5:30pm - 6:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Forks of the Pigeon Cemetery Walk. Presented by: Theresa Williams in the Violin Room.
• 5:45pm - 6:45pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Confessions of Snake Boy: Snake Tales, Songs and Lore. Presented by: Doug Elliott in the Dobro and Harp Rooms.
• 6:00pm: Monday Hike Signups at the Holiday Inn Express.
• 7:00pm: Bagpipe Performance. performed by: Piper Charles A. Smith, Retired Commander of TVA Police in the Dobro and Harp Rooms.
• 7:00pm - 7:30pm: Wilderness Wildlife Week Opening Ceremony and Welcome. Presented by Butch Helton, Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events Manager and special guests in the Dobro and Harp Rooms.
• 7:30pm: Opening Remarks presented by Ken Jenkins in the Dobro and Harp Rooms.
• 7:45pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Keynote Program: How to Tawlk and Rite Good: An Introduction to the Native Tongue of Southern Appalachia. Presented by Sam Venable in the Dobro and Harp Rooms.

What is so great about coming to the Pigeon Forge Wilderness Wildlife week in the Smokies is that is takes place just when off season kicks is so that is you were looking to rent a cabin in Pigeon Forge just a few weeks ago, the best ones were booked weeks or months in advance.

In season prices are also much higher for cabin rentals than being in off season. There are also huge discounts on cabin rentals with extended stays starting at $99 a night as well as Last Minute Cabin Rental Specials which can mean huge savings.

You will also find that the traffic in and around town and even in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is very light and that waits for a table in the best restaurants in the Smokies is almost nonexistent!

So don't miss out on the best kept secret in the Smokies: Wilderness Wildlife Week. Not only will you have a blast all day with free classes, demonstrations and guided hikes, when you get home to your cabin in the Smoky Mountains, kick back after a nice dinner, light a fire in the fireplace or take a dip first in the hot tub or the Jacuzzi, the choice is yours!

Cheap cabin rentals for Wilderness Wildlife Week

Winter Snow Storm Sneaks in While Fall Colors Peak in the Smokies

While fall color was peaking in the Great Smoky Mountains, Hurricane Sandy did plenty of damage up and down the eastern US coastline before turning west and further ravaging areas inland. Fortunately, for the Smokies of East Tennessee, we just saw some much needed rain for a few days in the lower elevations and beautiful snow up top above 3,000 feet.

Weather forecasting though a science, is not always accurate - especially in the Great Smoky Mountains where a few thousand feet can be the difference between torrential rains or beautiful sunshine and in the winter the difference can be a blinding blizzard, or a gentle rain.

For more than 3 days the East Tennessee Smoky Mountains were under a winter watch and the a winter warning with predictions of high winds ranging from 25 - 35 mile per hour an accumulations that were estimated to be no more than 17 inches in the worst hit.

The first of the winter storm hit us on the 28th after much of the fall peak leaf season in the very high elevations of the park were already over. While color was still very nice in the 2,500 to 3,500 foot range, little was left when the first snowfall of the 2012 season fell on the Smokies.

The main road that runs through the park Newfound Gap Road US 441, which takes you from Cherokee North Carolina all the way up to Tennessee border at Newfound Gap with an elevation of 5,046 feet, and then back down to the city limits of Gatlinburg Tennessee, was the first road to close due to snow and ice.

US 441 was opened back up after a day's worth of plowing and sanding by the Great Smoky Mountain National Parks road crew and then had to close the next afternoon as the snowstorm picked up in intensity and with the dropping temperatures, part of the road started to freeze up.

While this was happening higher up, in the lower elevations started to experience cooler weather in the 40's which made some of the fall color especially reds and oranges pop up and moved the peak fall color elevation zone down to under 2,000 feet.

Most cabin rentals are in elevations that range from 1,000 to 2,200 feet so this was the best time to see bright fall colors in the Smokies without having to drive. In the national park, color was sporadic at this point with some of it gone in the lower elevations, but plenty to be found above 2,000 feet...go figure!

Frustrating to all of us, when Newfound Gap Road closed the second time, the mountaintops stayed hidden in clouds and storm weather so we could not see the huge amount of snowfall they received. Mount Le Conte reported 3 to 4 foot drifts!

Today the weather finally broke and the crews working diligently got to reopen Newfound Gap Road this afternoon and what were treated by was a close up look to a winter wonderland!

One of the most popular pullouts along Newfound Gap Road is the Carlos Campbell Overlook looking out at Mount LeConte (pictured above). This is just a few miles from the Gatlinburg park entrance and the Sugarlands Visitor center. There was no snow on the ground in this area and you can see that the leaves at this level and below are still very colorful.

Further on up Newfound Gap Road past the Chimney parking area and the Chimneys trailhead are pullouts looking out at the Chimney Rock formations picture above. Some light dusting of snow on the ground and on signs at this point.

At the highest point of Newfound Gap Road is the Newfound Gap Parking area where you can see the back end of Mount LeConte (pictured above) or look out at the mountain ranges in North Carolina (pictured below).

With the cool seasonal temperature that rolled, we are looking at having less than a week before virtually all the color will be gone in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains and at this point almost all of the color is gone in North Caroline.

If you want to see the last of the best fall color for 2012, you had better be here this weekend!

There are very few cabins left to rent in the Smokies and there is a 10% discount on all last minute cabin rentals in the Smokies!

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

Day 7 of the Wilderness Wildlife Week programs in Pigeon Forge on Friday, January 13th, 2012

Snow! Coming in from out of town to participate in Wilderness Wildlife Week taking place in Pigeon Forge Tennessee? Well avoid US 441 Newfound Gap Road which is closed due to snow and ice on the roadway.

A winter advisory is still in effect today until noon that should not stop you from enjoying the Wilderness Wildlife Week indoor programs even if you do not like hiking in snow. It is possible that some guided hikes will be cancelled today.

Must see events today include Robert Redhawk Eldridge presenting the History of the Overhill Cherokee from 1770 - 1838, Todd Witcher from Discover Life in America teaching about The Smokies All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory Project and photographer Don McGowan lecture and presentation on Walking in the Beauty of the Natural World.

Information Desk is open from 7:00 am – 9:00 pm and the Vendor/Exhibit Hall is open from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm. The Cello Room Photography Exhibit is open from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm.

• 7:00 am – 11:00 am: Managing the Search Function: Study Some of the Smokies Most Famous Search and Rescue Operations. Presented by: Joe Kelley and Bob Swabe in the Guitar Room.
• 8:30 am – 9:30 am: The Amazing Diversity of Fall Creek Falls State Park. Presented by: Stuart Carroll in the Harp Room. Located over on the Cumberland Plateau, Fall Creek Falls State Park is one of Tennessee’s most beautiful and diverse state parks.
• 9:00 am – 10:00 am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Nature Recording in the Smokies. Presented by: Mark A. Dunaway in the Ukelele Room.
• 9:30 am – 10:30 am: Ijams Family Legacy in the Smokies. Presented by: Paul James in the Violin Room.
• 9:30 am – 10:30 am: Introduction to the Acoustic Guitar. Presented by: Tony Thomas in the Dobro Room.
• 10:00 am – 11:00 am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Butterflies: Flying Flowers in the Garden. Presented by: Kris H. Light in the Harp Room. Learn about East Tennessee’s native butterflies, their life cycles and how to attract them to your garden.
• 10:15 am – 11:45 am: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Bird Songs of the Smokies. Presented by: Mark A. Dunaway in the Ukelele Room.
• 11:00 am – Noon: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. The History of the Overhill Cherokee from 1770 – 1838. Presented by: Robert Redhawk Eldridge in the Violin Room. Robert Redhawk Eldridge covers the history of the Cherokee Indians of East Tennessee and North Georgia through early treaties, the War of 1812 and the events that led to their removal.
• 11:00 am – Noon: The Smokies All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. Presented by: Todd Witcher in the Dobro Room.
• 11:30 am – 12:30 pm: Kids Track Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Silly Safari Show. Presented by: Amazon John in the Harp Room.
• 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Attracting Butterflies and Caterpillars. Presented by: W.C. and Glenna Julian and Lois English in the Ukelele Room.
• 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Civil War in the West, 1862. Presented by: Jack Carman in the Guitar Room.
• 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Our National Treasures: America’s National Parks. Presented by: Chuck Summers in the Dobro Room.
• 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Ghost Birds! The Historic Search for the Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers. Presented by: Stephen Lyn Bales in the Violin Room.
• 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Hiker’s Guide to Food and Medicine. Presented by: Ila Hatter in the Harp Room. Ila Hatter hosts an illustrated discussion on "trail nibbles", wild food and seasonings and trail medicine.
• 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Kids Track Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Kiddin’ Around: A Hands-On Introduction to Appalachian Music and Its Instruments. Presented by: Lost Mill String Band in the Breakfast Room. Limit 20 children. Must pre-register at Information Desk. Parents encouraged to attend.
• 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: The Spirits of Cades Cove. Presented by: Mike Meldrum in the Ukelele Room.
• 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Lakes, Lighthouses and Landscapes of the North Woods. Presented by: Kendall Chiles in the Dobro Room.
• 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Bald Eagle Recovery: Fragile Links to Success. Presented by: Bob Hatcher in the Violin/Guitar Rooms.
• 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Native American Storytelling. Presented by: Robert Redhawk Eldridge in the Harp Room.
• 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. A Photo Walk Up Porters Creek Trail. Presented by: Bill Sullivan in the Ukelele Room.
• 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Kids Track Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Kindergarten through 5th Grade. Learn About Bears Through Hands-On Activities. Presented by: Anne Allison and Kathy Sherrard in the Breakfast Room. Limit 20. Must pre-register at Information Desk.
• 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Birds of Prey: Live Eagles! Presented by: American Eagle Foundation in the Violin/Guitar Rooms.
• 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm: Walking in the Beauty of the Natural World. Presented by: Don McGowan in the Dobro Room.
• 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Discovering the Cumberlands. Presented by: Stuart Carroll in the Ukelele Room.
• 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Basket Making. Presented by: Theresa Tyler in the Breakfast Room. Limit 12. Must pre-register at Information Desk.
• 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Birds of the Smokies. Presented by: Dr. Fred Alsop in the Guitar Room.
• 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. A Circumambulation of the Smokies, 1910: A Walk AROUND the Smokies in 1910. Presented by: Charles Maynard in the Dobro/Harp Rooms.
• 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Shooting Photos at Night. Presented by: Eric Gebhart in the Violin Room.
• 7:00 pm: Slow Jam: Bring Your Own Instrument or Simply Plan to Enjoy and Listen. Presented by: Tony Thomas in the Guitar Room.
• 7:45 pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Here, There and Yonder. Presented by: Chuck Summers in the Dobro/Harp Rooms. Chuck Summers presents a multimedia presentation featuring national treasures close to home and some far away.

The internet service at the event has been spotty this morning so you may want to check emails and surf the web in your cabin this morning before comming to the show.

Fall Color Peak in the Great Smoky Mountains: Where to Go and What to Do Part I

If you are looking for the best peak fall colors in the Great Smoky Mountains, it just does not get better than this! The next 2 weeks will be the best time to come to the Smokies to leaf peep and even 3 weeks from now, you will still be able to find great fall foliage colors in the Smokies.

This year the weather has not allowed for a very productive berry and acorn crop so animals such as black bear, elk and deer can be easily seen in and around the Great Smoky Mountains national park foraging for food. This year's weather in the Smokies has also another bonus for people coming here on vacation - bright brilliant fall colors from the mountain peaks to the valleys that will stick around longer than usual.

An early spring made for great wildflowers and being dryer than normal for much of the year, there were very few rain-out days where you had to sit in your cabin rental or worse yet, hotel room. This fall has also been dry with few storms and just enough moisture to keep the leaves on the trees, so as the days get shorter and the temperature drops we can have the most vibrant colors.

Weather predictions call for continued mostly dry weather - great for leaf peeping to see the best colors from your car or by hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains national park with just enough moisture to keep the leaves with fall color on the trees longer than usual.

As of today, there is peak color along the top of the Great Smoky Mountains and all along the Blue Ridge Parkway that starts right at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains national park. Just along Newfound Gap Road from Gatlinburg Tennessee to Cherokee North Carolina the approximately 33 mile drive is loaded with fall color and there is still some vibrant greens in the lower elevations.

Newfound Gap Road (US 441) has dozens of pullouts where you can safely enjoy and photograph the great fall colors in the mountains, streams and rivers and the waterfalls that are all right by the roadway.

Some of the best sweeping vistas of fall color can be found by Newfound Gap at the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The best fall color this morning was at 3,400 and above. While you are up top, be sure to take the 7-mile drive up Clingmans Dome Road to the second highest point east of the Mississippi. Bring a jacket or sweatshirt, as it can be at least 10 degrees color up top than what it is in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge.

Great fall color can also be found on the other major roads in and around the GSM national park, such as the Foothills Parkway East between I-40 and Cosby, State Road 321 between Cosby and Gatlinburg, the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Wears Valley Road 321 between Pigeon Forge and Townsend running through Wears Valley, and the Foothills Parkway West from Walland to the parks Abrams Entrance.

Roads inside national park that have the best drives to see the fall colors besides Newfound Gap Road are Little River Road Between Gatlinburg and Townsend, Laurel Creek Road from Townsend to Cades Cove, The 11 mile Cades Cove Loop Road (the mountains are covered in color!) and the 2 exit roads from the Cove: Rich Mountain Road to Townsend and Parsons Branch Road to the Dragons Tail.

There is also a lesser used motor trail just behind the city of Gatlinburg off Cherokee Orchard Road. The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail has fantastic color and stunning vistas showing off great fall color, lots of black bear activity, historic cabins, barns and buildings and access to many hiking trails of various difficulties. The most stunning hiking trail right now to see fall foliage is the Trillium Gap Hiking Trail to Brushy Mountain - a moderate 6 mile round trip to the most stunning year round views in the park.

Between Gatlinburg and Townsend, just off Little River Road is the Elkmont section of the park where you can also see plenty of fall colors and easy access to the Little River Hiking Trail, which is very gentle to walk trail right along a beautiful river with many waterfalls, huge boulders and beautiful views and again, great fall color!

Lastly, fall color means it is also elk rut season in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. In 2001 and 2002 a total of 52 elk were introduced back into the wilderness in a remote part of the Great Smoky Mountains national park. The herd now numbers 140 and the fall colors are at their best this week in the Cataloochee Valley where many of the large male bull elk bellow and fight each other to gather of group of female elk cows to mate.

If you have not seen elk in rut, this is not something to be missed. Best viewed the first and last 2 hours of daylight. Be sure to maintain at least the legal distance of 150 feet from any elk - or bear for that matter.

The 10 mile drive into the Cataloochee Valley and the roads within the valley have great colors and some stunning long sweeping vistas. For the more rugged, you can drive a 20-mile dirt road from Cosby all the way into Cataloochee.

The best location to stay in the Smokies to see the best fall colors in the Great Smoky Mountains is in the Gatlinburg - Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee. There is nothing better than to come back to a beautiful cabin and after a great dinner, slip into a hot tub or watch the flickering flames in the fireplace with someone special.

Fall Color Peak in the Great Smoky Mountains: Where to Go and What to Do Part II will have up to the minute fall color updates as well as more activities that make the Smokies Americas favorite vacation destination.

Beat The Summer Heat With A Vacation In The Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Outside the Smokies, record-breaking heat has gripped the US from sea to shining sea, and there is more than a month to go before cooler temperatures will prevail. Even on the hottest days where 100 degree plus temperatures just will not go away, you can still find cool relief and beat the heat in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Just think, there are places in the Smokies are accessible to everyone where you won't ever see temperatures above the 70's, and there are thousands of miles of cool streams and swimming holes within minutes from any vacation cabin rental in the Smoky Mountains.

Don't feel like going for a short drive to cool down? Just sit on the deck with a cool glass of ice tea and look out over the mountains, woods or river right by your cabin. Some of these cabins have swimming pool access too!

What could beat being under the shade of trees on a hiking trail or picnic grounds in the Great Smoky Mountains national park just minutes away or holding a fishing rod in your hand along or in a cool mountain stream? Maybe taking a long lazy tubing trip down the river is the cool mountain fed streams and rivers in the Pigeon Forge - Gatlinburg area, or even a guided white water rafting trip in exciting rapids!

Maybe the water and all that nature is just not your thing to beat the heat and you prefer to walk around a world-class top rated theme park like Dollywood and fell the rush of cool wind on your face on some of the exciting rides or the brand new zip lines in the Dollywood Theme Park. Don't forget the cool drinks, air conditioned restaurants and delicious ice cream all around the park...and yes, there are tamer rides for visitors of all ages all around Dollywood.

As if the Dollywood theme park was not great enough, from August 19th until September 5th, Dollywood is throwing its annual Barbeque and Bluegrass festival, a free concert series featuring the biggest names in bluegrass music such as Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, not to mention the what many call the country's tastiest barbeque. Would you believe they serve three-pound slices cut from a whopping 25-pound apple pie?

Better still, to beat the summer heat, purchase Discount Splash and Play Discount Tickets and you can enjoy both the Dollywood Theme Park AND Dollywood Splash Country - one of the most fun, exciting, clean and safe water parks around the world, and it is right here in the Smokies!

Better hurry up as besides a few blackout dates, Dollywood Splash Country is now open from 10 am to 6 pm until September 5th for the 2011 season. No one sells Dollywood and Splash Country tickets cheaper than American Mountain Rentals, not even Dollywood!

Everything in the Great Smoky Mountains is so green and lush as it is actually a temperate rain forest. There are such an abundance of beautiful plants and animals, some of which are extremely rare and endangered, that the United Nations designated the park as an International Biosphere. For a unique vacation, you can even help maintain some of the 850 miles of hiking trails this August. After clearing brush or moving logs, nothing will be more relaxing than a soak in hot tub under the stars back at your cabins.

One of the most popular large animals in the Great Smoky Mountains is our beloved black bear. In the national park alone, there are and estimated 1,700 black bear and the best places to see them are in Cades Cove and on Cherokee Orchard Road and Roaring Fork Motor Nature trail just outside downtown Gatlinburg.

Black bears in the Smokies are a remarkable sight and often during late summer you will see momma bear called a sow with 2 or more cubs. It is important to keep your at least 50 yards from them...it's the law and it is for your and the bears safety. It is also important to not feed them or let them have access to garbage.

There are now 150 elk residing in and around the Great Smoky Mountains national park. During August the bulls antlers will start to lose their velvet covering as their hormone levels rise and by September their mating ritual called "the rut" is in full swing. During the rut, the large bulls make loud calls to one another called bugles. When 2 large bulls meet up they fight mostly ritually to earn as many cows that they gather into harems.

Right now, the momma elks called cows are still nursing their young that were born in May and June. The calves still have their baby spots, but they will gradually fade as their winter coat comes in during the fall. Bring a lawn chair and sit in the shade to watch these majestic animals. Just as with the bear it is important that no matter how docile they may appear, stay at least 150 from the elk.

The best place to see the elk is in Cataloochee North Carolina, about and hour's drive from Gatlinburg Tennessee. Just like the black bear, the first 2 hours after sunrise and before sunset is the best time to see them. As it gets cooler in late September, you may be able to see them all day long.

Speaking of cooler, another way to beat the heat on the Smokies is to zip along on one of the many new zip line attractions in the Smokies. After climbing into your safety harness and putting on a helmet, you are ready to zoom high above the ground and through the trees - what a rush having the wind on your face...Not for the faint of heart!

So many ways to beat the summer heat on the Smokies! Which will you choose?

Fireflies, spring wildflowers, and other Great Smoky Mountains goings on for June.

The 2 major peak months for people to take vacations in the Great Smoky Mountains are July and October. However, June has become more and more popular every year as people have discovered that besides the great late spring early summer weather, there are less crowds, lots to do and nature shows us some spectacular events taking places in the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains national park during June (pictured below) is filled with plenty of deer, wild turkey and black bear foraging around with a backdrop of mountains and a foreground of lush green fields with wildflowers still blooming. Drive, bike or hike this 11 mile outdoor cultural museum and nature preserve.

Spring wildflowers and flowering bushes can found throughout various elevations during June even though the season started in April and in many places peaked in May. Mountain laurel are still blooming throughout the park and the 2 native species of Rhododendron and now blooming as well.

To celebrate the great weather, find food and interesting culture found in the Smokies, there are plenty of events going on during spring such as the Cosby In Park Celebration, the Bloomin' BBQ and Bluegrass Festival in downtown Sevierville, the Smoky Mountain Pottery Festival in Townsend, Dollywood's KidsFest taking place at Dollywood, and 2 true miracles of nature: the synchronous fireflies and peak flowering of hybrid azalea bushes on Gregory Bald overlooking Cades Cove.

One of the most amazing sights the Smokies has to offer tales pace in the Elkmont section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park just outside of Gatlinburg.

During the 2nd and 3rd weeks of June, one of our fireflies performs a natural light show second to none in Elkmont. These fireflies flash on and off in a pattern which allows them to synchronize with thousands of other lightning bugs in sight. The flashing goes on and on and then all at once – darkness, then it starts all over again.

Since the discovery of this phenomenon only a few short years ago, the firefly show in Elkmont has become incredibly popular. So popular in fact, the Elkmont section of the GSMNP closes to motor vehicles. To get there you must take a trolley from the Sugarlands visitor center to Elkmont from June 4th to the 12th.

The Trolleys to the Elkmont firefly show cost $1 per person round trip and start departing at 7 pm. The parking lot and the trolleys fill up fast so it is wise to get there early. No pets allowed and everything you take on the trolley must fit on your lap.

While the synchronous fireflies, which are lightning bugs that all flash and go dark simultaneously can be enjoyable by anyone with little effort, the 11 mile road trip hike up to Gregory Bald to see the heath bald consisting of hundreds of flame azaleas naturally hybridized in a rainbow of colors with stunning 360 degree views of the Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee and North Carolina requires considerably more effort and should only be tackled by those in good shape.

If an 11-mile hike is too much for you, but you still want to see great views and flame azalea bushes from a bald, Andrews Bald with its trail-head at the Clingmans Dome parking area is much more reasonable at less than 4 miles round trip.

Whether you choose to take a trolley into Elkmont to the spectacular fireflies of the Smokies, or sit in a mountain stream or river to cool off, or take an extreme hike the mountain peak where you will find the flaming azaleas blooming at Gregory Bald, you are sure to a have a great time in the Great Smoky Mountains during June.

Related Smokies Blog Stories:
Rare Synchronizing Fireflies Find Confirmed In Brothers Cove Resort in Wears Valley.

Fireflies synchronized light show season starts in Great Smoky Mountains national park.

Synchronous fireflies and admirers about to invade the Great Smoky Mountains national park

Cabins for rent where you can see the synchronized fireflies in the Smoky Mountains

Smoky Mountains firefly show in Elkmont near Gatlinburg

Elkmont Section of national park yearly visit by synchronized fireflies

Synchronized Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains