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 Pigeon River near Greenbrier, Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

One of my favorite areas in the Smoky Mountains is along the Little Pigeon River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Greenbrier, Tennessee. The picture above is from where Porter's creek joins the Little Pigeon River; the road forks at this area; the right fork takes you to Porter's Creek trailhead; the left fork crosses the creek and takes you to Ramsay's Cascades trailhead. next

Noah "Bud" Ogle homestead in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 Noah "Bud" Ogle was a pioneer farmer that built his farm, including a tub mill, in the 1880's close to LeConte Creek on 400 acres of  mountain land. The Ogle cabin is one of the best preserved cabins in Great Smoky Mountains National Park; also, the Ogle tub mill located behind the cabin down on LeConte Creek is mostly well-preserved as well; the millstones  are even  still intact in the tiny building. The homesite is located right off Cherokee Orchard Road on the way to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee; the Noah Ogle Nature Trail loops .75 of a mile behind the cabin down to the creek and back. Take traffic light #8 off of US441 in Gatlinburg, stay right through the intersection onto Cherokee Orchard Road; the cabin will be on your right. next

Middle Prong of the Little River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 I visited the Middle Prong of the Little River near Tremont, Tennessee in October. The light was coming up pretty quickly when I took a series of shots from Lynn Camp Prong  down  to near the Great Smoky Mountains  Institute at Tremont. This is a beautiful pure headwaters stream  originating from high in the Smokies. You access this area from Laurel Creek Road; turn onto Tremont Road and travel about 3 miles to the parking area/trailhead. After crossing the bridge, stay on the left fork; this wide path follows an old railroad grade and takes you along Lynn Camp Prong; eventually, the trail connects with Panther Creek Trail, Lynn Camp Prong Trail, Greenbrier Ridge Trail, Miry Ridge trail, and eventually the Appalachian Trail.
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Autumn color on Cherokee Orchard Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

I visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in October; the fall color was spectacular in several areas just as I had hoped. I was also hoping to get a few shots of some of the black bears that roam the park. In fact, my first evening I saw a mother and two cubs and another mature bear crossing the road just a few minutes from each other but the light was too poor to get any shots. A few days later, I pulled over on Cherokee Orchard  Road when I saw several people with cameras on the edge of the forest; a bear had just run up the hill into the woods right before I arrived. I cleverly decided to wait as the crowd dispersed and see if the bear would return; I amused myself by shooting a few constant zoom shots of some of the intense fall color. I was surprised to see the trunks of the trees in the above shot. After a bit, I slunk back to the jeep when I realized the bear wasn't coming. Luckily for me, I had only driven a short distance when I saw another crowd of people with cameras  chasing MY bear through the woods! I jumped out just in time to see the poor bear running for its life, just a patch of dark colored fur disappearing into a thicket. Counting several close opportunities with grizzlies out west, I'm 0 for 7 for getting a decent shot in the wild;  I may have to consider the zoo....

 this is the area where the bear disappeared.

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

this is the Noah "Bud" Ogle farmstead off of Cherokee Orchard Road.

Springtime at Little River

Little River in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

this a a shot of fall color on Little River near Elkmont in  Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee.

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:

Roaring Fork River in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

I visited Great Smoky Mountain National Park for the second time in late October; I had hoped to see the leaves at their peak color; I wasn't disappointed. Actually, I don't think you can see ALL the leaves at peak color at the same time;  differences in elevation, shading, rainfall, etc. make it tough to pinpoint. The following  view was taken at Roaring Fork Nature Motor Trail just outside Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It's fairly easy to access this area; take traffic light 8 from the main drag in Gatlinburg and follow it up; bear right at the intersection that takes you into the Park; you will pass several stops include the Noah Ogle farmstead and Rainbow Falls trailhead; eventually, you turn onto the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and follow it around and back down into Gatlinburg. It is a narrow, twisting, one-way road; you might be able to drive a big  RV up it but I'm not sure. Watch your driving carefully; in spots the road is a foot or two from a steep drop-off; there is no guardrail and a vehicle could roll down a 40-50' incline if you are paying more attention to the scenery than the road! This whole area is a must-see if you are in the Gatlinburg area....  Image 1  Image 2 Image 3 Image 4

Alfred Reagan homeplace at Roaring Fork, Great Smoky Mountain National Park

     One must-see spot in  Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail; a winding one-way road just outside Gatlinburg, TN. Numerous scenic and historic spots are found along this beautiful drive; one such spot  is the Alfred Reagan homesite and mill. This well preserved house and millhouse is located literally roadside; expect lots of company when you visit. Image of house:  Images of mill: