It’s beginning to feel like fall in Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Autumn is a beautiful—but busy—time in the Smokies. Visitors should plan ahead and be prepared for incredible fall colors, but also crowds, traffic congestion and limited parking throughout the park.
The Smokies typically experience a stunning fall foliage season, thanks to the park’s wide range of elevations and rich biodiversity of deciduous trees. These elevation changes allow the peak color season to stretch over several weeks, as the vibrant display of colors gradually moves down the mountainsides.
At higher elevations, fall colors typically begin with trees such as yellow birch, American beech, and mountain maple. As the season progresses into lower elevations, sugar maple, scarlet oak, sweetgum, red maple, and hickories take over the display.
Avoid the crowds
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is consistently the most visited national park in the country, with October being one of the busiest months.
To make the most of your visit, consider arriving before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m. to avoid peak crowds. If you’re driving, please park responsibly—parking outside designated areas can damage natural resources, increase congestion, and create safety hazards along busy roads. For additional information, check out our traffic and travel tips.
Scenic Drives
Avoid the crowds by taking in the views from the Foothills Parkway. Cades Cove Loop Road and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail are consistently the busiest places in October. Please allow more time than you think if you’re planning to travel on these scenic roads.
Hiking
Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers more than 800 miles of trails to explore. Consider hiking less-visited trails, including Little River Trail, Little Greenbrier School, Lynn Camp Prong Cascades, Porters Creek, or Chasteen Creek Cascade.
Planning to hike a popular trail? Consider taking a shuttle from nearby communities to the trailhead. It’s a great way to reduce traffic and enjoy a more relaxed experience in the park. Learn more about hiking in the Smokies.
Got your parking tag?
Parking in the Smokies for more than 15 minutes requires a valid parking tag. Tags can be purchased online anytime at Recreation.gov or in person at multiple locations.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park uses recreation fee dollars from parking tags to protect the park and enhance your park experience. The park is using this money to improve visitor safety, increase park ranger presence, and repair, enhance and maintain public park facilities. One hundred percent of the funds generated by park fees stay in the Smokies—learn about your fee dollars at work!
Plan like a ranger
Visit our trip planning webpage before you head to the park. Consider visiting an area of the park you haven’t explored before. Prepare a backup plan (and even a backup for your backup plan) in case you encounter congestion or full parking lots.
Pack clothes for all weather and layer up for your adventures. The weather can change quickly during the fall, particularly in the mountains. Temperatures at Kuwohi are at least 10 degrees cooler than in lower elevation areas like Oconaluftee, Sugarlands, and Cades Cove.
Fall programs
Check the online calendar or grab a park newspaper at any visitor center to find a variety of daily, ranger-led hikes and educational activities.
Wildlife safety
Fall is a prime time to spot bears and elk in the park. To ensure your safety and the well-being of wildlife, maintain a safe distance of at least 50 yards (150 feet).
When hiking, camping or picnicking, be mindful of food and garbage. All waste should be properly disposed of in bear-proof dumpsters or packed out. Bears that learn to associate humans with food can become defensive and pose a danger to visitors. By following these guidelines, you can help protect both yourself and the park’s wildlife.
Tom Harrington is a regular hiker who reports on wildflowers in the Smokies.
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