Fall Colors in Smoky Mountain National Park (Great Smoky Mountain National Park)

The fall colors in the Smoky Mountains this season are ‘spectacular’ and some of the best a park ranger who works there has ever seen….unfortunately, we were there a bit early as they were just starting to change two weeks ago when we were there. I’ve learned that the colors come fast and you only get about a two week window.

Fall Color in Smoky Mountain National Park (Great Smoky Mountain National Park)

I took this in the early morning hours as I drove back from shooting sunrise over a valley in the Great Smoky Mountains. The sun had just peaked over the mountain and only a handful of trees were actually lit up on this side of the mountain. It was as if the early morning sun was spotlighting this particular grouping that displayed vibrant reds, nice yellow tones and some yet to change greens. While I wish we would have been here for ‘peak’ season when the colors are amazing this was more than enough for us – especially given the traffic that comes through here to peep at the color of the leaves.