Gatlinburg Issues Fall Leaf Report
To help visitors plan their fall foliage viewing trips to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are two new websites that provided update leaf reports at Gatlinburg.com and EventsGatlinburg.com.
These websites chronicle the annual descent of color from the highest elevations of the Smokies in September to the climax of the color in the foothills around Gatlinburg in November. The websites suggest walks, hikes and drives with the best viewing potential.
Autumn in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a special time when a glorious fall foliage season lasts six to eight weeks. The autumn colors around Gatlinburg are magnificent and varied due to the amazing diversity of trees and plant life. Over 100 species of native trees live in the Smokies, the vast majority of which are deciduous. The timing of fall color depends upon so many variables that the exact dates of “peak” season are impossible to predict in advance. The key factors are moisture, temperature and wind.
“Over the years, we have not had much success in predicting the quality of the color display months or weeks before it occurs,” said Bob Miller, spokesman for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “We have had drought years, like 2008, when we ended up with excellent color, and wet seasons when we had good color, too. Ultimately what drives the quality of the color is the weather at the time when change is taking place. The best color comes when we have cool crisp nights, but not hard freezes, combined with bright sunny, warm days. An early hard freeze can brown-out the leaves and they’ll drop off. Severe weather like torrential rains and sustained winds can also take a toll on the leaves, tearing them off easily once they have changed. But we always have good color somewhere it the Smokies.”
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