A Walk in the Clouds Too

08/28/2026

https://smokymountainnationalpark.com/blog/guide-smoky-mountain-fall-foliage/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_medium=broadcast&utm_campaign=Best+Time+for+Fall+Foliage%3F

Are you hoping to see Smoky Mountain fall foliage this year? Here’s what you need to know about seeing all the colors of fall in the Smokies.

08/26/2026

08/25/2026

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2026 Smoky Mountains Fall Foliage Forecast
As the new school year begins and the summer heat starts to ease up, a big question on everyone’s mind is, “When will the fall colors in the Smoky Mountains be at their peak this year?” Although we cannot quite give you an exact date, we can give you our predictions.

Predicting exactly when Smoky Mountains fall foliage will reach its peak is an inexact science, but typically higher elevations (above 4,000 feet) peak around early to mid October. Lower elevations often reach peak around mid October to early November. Leaves typically start changing at the highest elevations in late September, slowly working their way down the mountains. Fall foliage predictor tools vary in their forecast, but most expect peak Smoky Mountains fall foliage sometime between mid-October to early November.

Fall foliage is most vibrant when temperatures are in the 70s during the day and drop into the 40s at night. As summer temperatures fade and temperatures get cooler, the leaves turn brighter reds, oranges, and yellows!

08/18/2026

https://smokymountainnationalpark.com/blog/5-smoky-mountain-trails-under-5-miles/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_medium=broadcast&utm_campaign=Plan+a+Last-Minute+Summer+Trip+Before+Cabins+Fill+Up%21

Learn more about the top Smoky Mountain trails under 5 miles, like the Gatlinburg Trail, the Grotto Falls Trail, and more.

08/16/2026

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08/15/2026

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08/09/2026

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The Smoky Mountain Half-Day “No Hike Waterfalls” Road Trip takes you to view 6 beautiful falls among the Smokies that you won’t have to do any work (besides driving) to see!

📍The Sinks
📍Place of a Thousand Drips
📍Cane Creek Twin Falls
📍Meigs Falls
📍Cliff Branch Falls
📍Mingo Falls

Five are true roadside stops, while Mingo Falls is the one exception, requiring a short but steep climb. The Sinks sits along Little River Road, where rushing water pours through a rocky gorge; the spot was shaped after loggers used dynamite to break up a logjam. Nearby, Meigs Falls can be admired right from a roadside pull-off as it tumbles through the trees. Cane Creek Twin Falls is another easy-to-miss Little River Road stop, with two small cascades dropping toward the river. Place of a Thousand Drips sits along Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, where many thin streams spill over a wide mossy rock face, especially after rain. On Newfound Gap Road, Cliff Branch Falls drops in several small cascades beside the highway near Smokemont. Finish in Cherokee, North Carolina, at Mingo Falls, a towering waterfall more than 120 feet high. Reaching its viewing bridge does mean climbing 161 steps, but the trail is only about a quarter-mile each way.