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The Best Places To See The Fall Foliage In The Smokies

Posted by Leif Palmer in Seasons Smoky Mountains

October is known as the second peak season in the Smokies, because after summer, it's the time of year with the highest area visitation. Why? Because that's when the leaves change colors, morphing from the greens of summer to the fiery reds, yellows and oranges of autumn. It's no coincidence that tourism reaches a peak about the same time that the leaves do.

We recommend visiting the Smokies some time within the next three to four weeks if you want to see the leaves at their best and brightest, before they leave our trees bare for winter. And if you do get a chance to come here, we hope you'll check out our selection of overnight rental properties. The combination of luxury cabins, Smoky Mountains and fall foliage is a hard one to beat.

To help you prepare for your next trip to the Smokies this fall, we're passing along a few suggestions for the best places you can go to see the leaves in all their fall glory.

  • Newfound Gap Road

Also known as U.S. Hwy. 441, this route runs from Gatlinburg, through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, to Cherokee North Carolina. Along the way, the two-lane road meanders to the crest of the Smokies ridge and back down to the south end of the park.

Along the way, you'll see sweeping vistas of majestic mountains and rolling hills, which are essentially a broad canvass upon which nature creates its most beautiful work. And because you'll be in the higher elevations, you'll see more color sooner than you might if you visit locations in the lowlands. Look for a number of parking areas along the way where you can pull off the road to take pictures or simply gawk.

  • Foothills Parkway

This scenic highway was never actually completed, but different sections of it are open for driving – one near the Cosby community and one between Townsend and Maryville. Both sections offer many of the same advantages of Newfound Gap Rd. – higher elevations, colorful views that stretch to the horizon and roadside overlook pull-offs.

  • Ober Gatlinburg

Just taking the aerial tramway up to this mountaintop Gatlinburg ski resort and attraction will offer up pretty decent views of the foliage in the mountains surrounding that community. And when you get to the top, you might also take the scenic chairlift, which will carry you a little farther up Mt. Harrison. The city itself isn't quite as high as some of the mountainous roads within the national park, but you'll still see the colors earlier than you might in the lower-lying cities of Pigeon Forge or Sevierville.

  • Cades Cove

This historic community in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also not in the higher elevations, but if you wait just a little longer for the changing colors to reach the foothills and valleys, a visit would be totally worth it. The 11-mile, one-way auto loop that takes you through the cove is surrounded by towering mountains, rolling valleys, historic churches and homesteads, and depending on the time of day, you might even catch herds of nearby dear or possibly even a bear scrounging up sustenance for hibernation.

Leif Palmer - Smokies blogger

About Leif Palmer

Leif Palmer loves residing in the Smoky Mountains. He is an avid outdoorsman: rowing for exercise on the lake, trail hiking, and free climbing rocks in the mountains. He indulges his arty side by periodically beating up pieces of marble by sculpting. He is always frustrated by his inability to sink long putts, and hates his curly hair (but his wife loves it). Leif has been known to muster enough courage to change a diaper, and hopes his son will become a chip off the old block.

 

This content posted by Smokies Travel Guide. Visit our home page, smokiestravelguide.com for more information on the Smoky Mountain area.

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