About thirteen trillion leaves fall in the Great Smoky Mountains each and every year, which means there are plenty of chances to catch the mountains’ world-famous autumn colors from just about anywhere in the park. Fall leaf color in the Smokies generally peaks between mid-October and mid-November, but the park offers a moving feast for the eyes any time from late September through early November thanks to its rich arboreal diversity and wide range of elevation. Sunny days and crisp, cool nights are thought to bring out the very best colors.

Keep up with the changing leaves by reading our regular fall color reports carefully curated by expert Smokies naturalist Tom Harrington.