Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Gatlinburg, TN · Public domain
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Cades Cove, Newfound Gap, Kuwohi)
High peaks and diverse forests with wide views of changing color.
Forest Composition
Conditions & 5-Day Forecast
Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Cades Cove, Newfound Gap, Kuwohi)
Peak fall color is predicted around October 25. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 20 to October 30.
The prediction comes from 14 years of fall color records at this spot, checked against what observers on the ground saw. Where state foliage spotters report peak (New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Missouri), it has landed inside our ±5-day window about two years in three. An unusual summer or autumn can still move it further. Explore fall color around Sevier County and across Tennessee.
That is 5 days later than usual (October 21): the six weeks to October 13 ran 6.5°F warmer than the 2001–2025 average, and a warmer run before peak delays the color. This will settle about ten days before peak, as the weather comes in.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Cades Cove, Newfound Gap, Kuwohi)
Under 30 minutes
1 to 2 hours
- Foothills Parkway34 mi · 1 hr 3 minPeak: Oct 29Status: Moderate color
- Seven Islands State Birding Park42 mi · 1 hr 21 minPeak: Oct 26Status: High color
- Ijams Nature Center50 mi · 1 hr 35 minPeak: Oct 29Status: Moderate color
- Sharp's Ridge Memorial Park60 mi · 1 hr 35 minPeak: Nov 2Status: Moderate color
- Black Balsam Knob70 mi · 1 hr 57 minNorth CarolinaPeak: Oct 23Status: Moderate color
- Graveyard Fields71 mi · 1 hr 59 minNorth CarolinaPeak: Oct 24Status: Moderate color
- North Carolina Arboretum71 mi · 1 hr 59 minNorth CarolinaPeak: Oct 29Status: Moderate color