Newfound Gap Road (US-441)
OpenThe spine of the park, Gatlinburg to Cherokee over a 5,046 ft gap.
Open year round but closes without warning for ice, snow, and fog. Check before an early-morning drive after a cold front.
Weather factors
What this season's weather is doing to the color
Shortening days decide roughly when leaves turn. The weather nudges that date a few days earlier or later, and decides how bright the color gets.
Is color early or late?
-0.2 days
Right about on time compared with a typical year.
How bright will it be?
46/100 · Muted
Dry, stressed trees are dulling the reds. Expect more yellow and brown.
Chilly nights so far
2
Nights below 45°F since September 1. Cool nights are what turn leaves red.
Every tracked spot, highest elevation first.
Kuwohi6,643 ft
- Cool nights
- 12
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 60°F
- Ground moisture
- -3.4″
- Air dryness
- Comfortable
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- D1
- Early / late
- -0.5d
- Brightness
- 73
LeConte6,593 ft
- Cool nights
- 12
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 60°F
- Ground moisture
- +0.4″
- Air dryness
- Comfortable
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- None
- Early / late
- +0.4d
- Brightness
- 73
Newfound Gap5,046 ft
- Cool nights
- 5
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 66°F
- Ground moisture
- +1.8″
- Air dryness
- Comfortable
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- D1
- Early / late
- +0.2d
- Brightness
- 70
Chimney Tops3,400 ft
- Cool nights
- 0
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 73°F
- Ground moisture
- -2.9″
- Air dryness
- Comfortable
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- None
- Early / late
- -2.0d
- Brightness
- 44
Cataloochee2,650 ft
- Cool nights
- 0
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 79°F
- Ground moisture
- -4.8″
- Air dryness
- Very dry
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- D1
- Early / late
- -1.0d
- Brightness
- 60
Roaring Fork2,600 ft
- Cool nights
- 0
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 78°F
- Ground moisture
- -3.4″
- Air dryness
- Dry
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- None
- Early / late
- -1.0d
- Brightness
- 36
Foothills Pkwy2,100 ft
- Cool nights
- 0
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 82°F
- Ground moisture
- -3.1″
- Air dryness
- Very dry
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- None
- Early / late
- +2.9d
- Brightness
- 33
Cades Cove1,800 ft
- Cool nights
- 0
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 83°F
- Ground moisture
- -4.6″
- Air dryness
- Very dry
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- None
- Early / late
- -0.4d
- Brightness
- 22
Little River1,700 ft
- Cool nights
- 0
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 84°F
- Ground moisture
- -5.9″
- Air dryness
- Very dry
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- None
- Early / late
- -0.3d
- Brightness
- 21
Wears Valley1,400 ft
- Cool nights
- 0
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 84°F
- Ground moisture
- -3.5″
- Air dryness
- Very dry
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- None
- Early / late
- -1.4d
- Brightness
- 27
Gatlinburg1,289 ft
- Cool nights
- 0
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 83°F
- Ground moisture
- -0.4″
- Air dryness
- Very dry
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- None
- Early / late
- +3.2d
- Brightness
- 63
Townsend1,050 ft
- Cool nights
- 0
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 86°F
- Ground moisture
- -2.2″
- Air dryness
- Very dry
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- None
- Early / late
- +0.1d
- Brightness
- 44
Pigeon Forge1,010 ft
- Cool nights
- 0
- Freezing nights
- 0
- Typical high
- 85°F
- Ground moisture
- -3.8″
- Air dryness
- Very dry
- Sunshine
- Bright
- Drought
- None
- Early / late
- -2.2d
- Brightness
- 27
| Location | Cool nights | Freezing nights | Typical high | Ground moisture | Air dryness | Sunshine | Drought | Early / late | Brightness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwohi 6,643 ft | 12 | 0 | 60°F | -3.4″ | Comfortable | Bright | D1 | -0.5d | 73 |
| LeConte 6,593 ft | 12 | 0 | 60°F | +0.4″ | Comfortable | Bright | None | +0.4d | 73 |
| Newfound Gap 5,046 ft | 5 | 0 | 66°F | +1.8″ | Comfortable | Bright | D1 | +0.2d | 70 |
| Chimney Tops 3,400 ft | 0 | 0 | 73°F | -2.9″ | Comfortable | Bright | None | -2.0d | 44 |
| Cataloochee 2,650 ft | 0 | 0 | 79°F | -4.8″ | Very dry | Bright | D1 | -1.0d | 60 |
| Roaring Fork 2,600 ft | 0 | 0 | 78°F | -3.4″ | Dry | Bright | None | -1.0d | 36 |
| Foothills Pkwy 2,100 ft | 0 | 0 | 82°F | -3.1″ | Very dry | Bright | None | +2.9d | 33 |
| Cades Cove 1,800 ft | 0 | 0 | 83°F | -4.6″ | Very dry | Bright | None | -0.4d | 22 |
| Little River 1,700 ft | 0 | 0 | 84°F | -5.9″ | Very dry | Bright | None | -0.3d | 21 |
| Wears Valley 1,400 ft | 0 | 0 | 84°F | -3.5″ | Very dry | Bright | None | -1.4d | 27 |
| Gatlinburg 1,289 ft | 0 | 0 | 83°F | -0.4″ | Very dry | Bright | None | +3.2d | 63 |
| Townsend 1,050 ft | 0 | 0 | 86°F | -2.2″ | Very dry | Bright | None | +0.1d | 44 |
| Pigeon Forge 1,010 ft | 0 | 0 | 85°F | -3.8″ | Very dry | Bright | None | -2.2d | 27 |
What's actually happening at each spot
Plain-English notes on the weather that is moving color earlier, later, brighter or duller.
Kuwohi (Clingmans Dome)
- Temperatures are close to seasonal normal.
- 12 nights below 45°F so far. Cool nights trap sugars in the leaf and deepen reds.
- The US Drought Monitor has this county at D1. Drought-stressed trees turn early and drop fast, with more brown in the canopy.
- Sunnier than usual, which builds the red pigments that make a vivid season.
- Satellite canopy is holding green longer than expected: peak pushed 2.2 days later.
- Past seasons scored here ran 0.1 days earlier than the model expected, so that correction is applied.
Mount LeConte
- Temperatures are close to seasonal normal.
- 12 nights below 45°F so far. Cool nights trap sugars in the leaf and deepen reds.
- Sunnier than usual, which builds the red pigments that make a vivid season.
- Satellite canopy is holding green longer than expected: peak pushed 1.8 days later.
- Past seasons scored here ran 0.1 days earlier than the model expected, so that correction is applied.
Newfound Gap
- Temperatures are close to seasonal normal.
- 5 nights below 45°F so far. Cool nights trap sugars in the leaf and deepen reds.
- The US Drought Monitor has this county at D1. Drought-stressed trees turn early and drop fast, with more brown in the canopy.
- Sunnier than usual, which builds the red pigments that make a vivid season.
- Satellite canopy is holding green longer than expected: peak pushed 2.3 days later.
- Past seasons scored here ran 0.1 days earlier than the model expected, so that correction is applied.
Chimney Tops Overlooks
- Temperatures are close to seasonal normal.
- Rainfall is running 2.9" behind what the canopy has transpired away, so trees are drawing down soil water.
- Sunnier than usual, which builds the red pigments that make a vivid season.
- Satellite canopy is holding green longer than expected: peak pushed 1.7 days later.
- Past seasons scored here ran 0.1 days earlier than the model expected, so that correction is applied.
Cataloochee Valley
- Running 3.9°F warmer than this location's measured normal, which pushes peak later.
- The US Drought Monitor has this county at D1. Drought-stressed trees turn early and drop fast, with more brown in the canopy.
- Sunnier than usual, which builds the red pigments that make a vivid season.
- Satellite canopy is holding green longer than expected: peak pushed 1.7 days later.
- Past seasons scored here ran 3.0 days earlier than the model expected, so that correction is applied.
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
- Running 3.1°F warmer than this location's measured normal, which pushes peak later.
- Rainfall is running 3.4" behind what the canopy has transpired away, so trees are drawing down soil water.
- Satellite canopy is holding green longer than expected: peak pushed 1.5 days later.
- Past seasons scored here ran 0.1 days earlier than the model expected, so that correction is applied.
Official and observed signals
Beyond our own model: National Weather Service warnings that can strip a ridge overnight, the federal drought call for each county, and what the Sentinel-2 satellite measured on the canopy itself.
US Drought Monitor
- Swain CountyD1 moderate droughtD0 100% · D1 71%
- Sevier CountyNo droughtD0 23% · D1 8%
- Blount CountyNo droughtD0 6% · D1 0%
- Haywood CountyD1 moderate droughtD0 100% · D1 70%
Published weekly by NOAA, USDA and the National Drought Mitigation Center. When a county is in drought the model expects an earlier, faster, browner turn.
Satellite canopy readings
Sentinel-2 at 10 m, via the Microsoft Planetary Computer. NDVI falls and the green-red index crosses zero as chlorophyll breaks down, so these readings pull today's color index toward what the canopy actually looks like from orbit. With three or more clear passes we also fit the trend: a canopy turning faster than the usual pace pulls the predicted peak earlier, a stalled one pushes it later.
Road access today
The best color on the mountain is worth nothing if the road to it is shut. Seasonal schedules below follow standard park operations; caution flags come from active weather alerts. Always confirm with the park before an early drive.
Clingmans Dome Road (to Kuwohi)
OpenSeven miles of ridge road off Newfound Gap to the highest point in the park.
Closes for the winter on December 1 and reopens April 1. Peak-season mornings fill the lot by 9 AM.
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
OpenOne-way 5.5 mile loop through old-growth forest above Gatlinburg.
Closed through winter. No buses, RVs, or trailers. Narrow and slow, allow a full hour.
Cades Cove Loop Road
OpenEleven-mile one-way loop through the most visited valley in the park.
Open year round, sunrise to sunset. Vehicle-free Wednesdays run May through late September; in October it is open to cars every day and backs up badly.
Little River Road
OpenTownsend to Sugarlands along the river, the gentlest scenic drive in the park.
Open year round. Rockslides and downed trees can close sections after heavy rain.
Foothills Parkway (Walland to Wears Valley)
OpenSixteen miles of ridge-top parkway looking straight at the Smokies crest.
Open year round. Fog can shut visibility down completely at dawn even when the valley is clear.
Balsam Mountain / Heintooga Ridge Road
OpenHigh, quiet gravel route on the North Carolina side near Cataloochee.
Typically closes in early November. Cataloochee Valley itself stays open but the access road is narrow gravel.
Ground truth
What the cameras actually see
Public park webcams are pulled three times a day and scored for canopy color. When a fresh, readable frame disagrees with the model, the forecast for that area is nudged toward the camera.
Loading camera readings...