autumn color on Little River in Great Smoky Mountains NP

late afternoon color really comes alive in afternoon light on Little River near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Another shot is below:

Little River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Afternoon sunlight lights up fall color on the Little River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  next

Carlos Campbell Overlook in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

this is the view from Carlos Campbell overlook in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  next

this is fall color near the Sunset overlook on the Rim Trail at White Rock Mountain; note that fog has almost topped the cliffs; fog is very common here. next

Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

This is autumn color on West Prong Little Pigeon River  at Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail by the picnic area.  next

Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail is located  about 4.5 miles south of Sugarlands Visitor Center right off of US 441 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The picnic area  is located along West Prong Little Pigeon River; there are restrooms and a phone here.  Besides putting on a great autumn color display, this area  is known for epic spring wildflower blooms also. The trail is an easy 1 mile loop. next

This  is the US 441 bridge at Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

this is the fall color on Cherokee Orchard Road outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Newfound Gap Road

Newfound Gap Road runs from Gatlinburg, TN to Cherokee, North Carolina; aka US 441. Numerous trailheads and scenic overlooks abound on this scenic stretch of highway; including, but not limited to
Chimney Rocks, Alum Cave Bluffs, Cove Hardwoods, and Appalachian Trails; some nice overlooks include Carlos Campbell, Chimney Rocks, Morton's Overlook, and of course Clingman's Dome, accessible after a 7 mile drive off of Newfound Gap Road. This particular view was taken fairly close to Chimney Rocks Overlook; mist had risen into the valleys all the way to the top of the mountain.I will be posting several more images and alot more details of this area in the future.

Oconaluftee Valley Overlook

This view is from the Oconaluftee Valley Overlook in Great Smoky Mountain National Park in North Carolina. (description)

Newfound Gap Road (US 441) runs from Gatlinburg, Tennessee up and over the crest of the Smoky Mountains and then down to Cherokee, North Carolina. From Gatlinburg to the highest point, the road gains around 3500' of elevation; watch how the trees change from lowland hardwoods to high altitude firs and back again as you descend to Cherokee. You actually leave Great Smoky Mountain National Park just before reaching Cherokee; Cherokee, North Carolina is actually on a large Indian reservation and is a great area to explore. The view shown above is from the Oconaluftee Valley Overlook just below Newfound Gap; I arrived early hoping for a nice sunrise view; instead, the mountain was locked in thick mist with 30' visibility. After almost an hour, I was about to leave when the mist began to thin out a bit; I got several views down the valley. There are numerous scenic stops along Newfound Gap Road, I will be posting several more about these   areas in the future. One other view from below Newfound Gap is below.http://paulmartinimage.blogspot.com/2011/12/sunset-in-great-smoky-mountains.html

Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

This is the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River in the Greenbrier area of Great Smoky Mountain NP. This area can be found by driving east of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on U.S. 321 about 6 miles and turning on Greenbrier Road which follows the Middle Prong all the way in; at 3 miles the road forks; the L fork follows Middle Prong to the Ramsey Cascades trailhead; the R fork takes you to the Porter's Creek trailhead. The road turns to gravel well before this fork.another view of the road is below: