Blog for Zipline Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
Fall Colors Are Coming To The Smoky Mountains
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on September 30, 2014
We may just have a great recipe for beautiful fall foliage in the Great Smoky Mountains this year. The magic combination includes sunny days, occasional rainfall and longer, cooler nights, and that's exactly what we've been enjoying the past few weeks in this neck of the woods.
As a matter of fact, we're starting to seen changes in leaf color a little earlier than usual. Just a week ago, for example, color changes were spotted in Great Smoky Mountains National Park above the 4,000-foot mark. From this point on, we can expect to see the gradual transformation from summer's greens to autumn's reds, oranges and yellows moving into lower and lower elevations.
In all, there are some 100 species of mostly deciduous trees in this region, and the chemical process that takes place within their leaves each year is a sight to behold. In September, sourwood, dogwood, maple and birch trees are the first to start changing, and we start to see autumn wildflowers like cardinal flower, black-eyed Susan, skunk goldenrod, ironweed and others.
As we head into early October, trees like the American beech, yellow birch, mountain ash, pin cherry and mountain maple are changing in the high country, whereas in the lower elevations, we'll see some early changes in sourwood and sumac trees.
A few suggested hikes that will allow for great foliage viewing include Albright Grove, Sugarland Mountain Trail, Andrews Bald and Mt. LeConte. Also consider taking such high-country roads as Newfound Gap Road, Foothills Parkway (west and east) and Rich Mountain Road out of Cades Cove to get some great views by car.
Of course, our Smoky Mountain zipline course in Pigeon Forge will see most of its color changes later this month, so that would be an awesome time to come see us and breeze through the trees while they're at their most beautiful.
