Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Seven Islands State Birding Park
Peak fall color is predicted around October 26. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 21 to October 31.
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 Knox County and across Tennessee.
That is 5 days later than usual (October 21): the six weeks to October 13 ran 5.7°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 Seven Islands State Birding Park
30 to 60 minutes
1 to 2 hours
- Foothills Parkway36 mi · 1 hr 2 minPeak: Oct 29Status: Moderate color
- Norris Dam State Park45 mi · 1 hr 4 minPeak: Oct 29Status: High color
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park35 mi · 1 hr 7 minPeak: Oct 26
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Cades Cove, Newfound Gap, Kuwohi)42 mi · 1 hr 20 minPeak: Oct 25Status: Moderate color
- Frozen Head State Park60 mi · 1 hr 28 minPeak: Oct 27Status: Moderate color
- Cherohala Skyway79 mi · 1 hr 56 minPeak: Oct 29Status: Moderate color