Oconaluftee River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

this is autumn color along the Oconaluftee River in North Carolina in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. next

The Oconaluftee River tumbles from high in the Smoky Mountains until exiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park and eventually flowing through Cherokee, North Carolina. The Oconaluftee River is noted for  flyfishing, it contains a healthy population of brown and rainbow trout. US 441 (Newfound Gap Road) follows alongside much of the river as it flows toward Cherokee,  I saw this spot from the road and soon joined several photographers at this popular spot; the tree had particularly vibrant foliage that really stood out. Smokemont Campground is located on the banks of this river and is one of the best campgrounds in the park; fairly quiet and beautiful (no showers though), also Kephart Prong trailhead is in this area and starts right from the river. I would encourage a stop a little further down US 441 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center; in addition, the Oconaluftee River Trail starts at the Visitor Center and takes you along the river into Cherokee.   next

this is a view of the Oconaluftee drainage from just below Newfound Gap.  next

another view of this area.  next

this is another angle.

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