Townsend & Little River
The quiet side. Riverside color along Little River Road with a fraction of the Gatlinburg traffic, and the shortest approach to Cades Cove.
Color today · Aug 25
12/100
Still green
Canopy is summer green with only scattered early turners.
Predicted peak
Nov 2
Window Oct 29 – Nov 7
Historical median
Nov 2
-0.1 day weather shift
Peak probability today
0%
78% model confidence
Expected vibrancy
68/100
0 cold nights, 0 frosts logged
This location vs. its own normal year
Townsend & Little River is running on schedule compared with its own ten-year day-by-day climate record from the ERA5-Land reanalysis, downscaled to this elevation.
- Timing shift
- -0.1d
- Daytime temperature
- +1.9°F
- Rainfall
- 134% of normal
- Cold nights logged
- 0
Peak pulled earlier
Warmer than normal here
6.2 in observed · 4.6 in typical
Nights below 45°F · air dryness 2.09 kPa
How far to trust this
Strong evidenceForecast-grade through Sep 10. After that the curve is this location's historical average, not a prediction of this year's weather.
- Numerical weather forecast through Sep 8
- Cloud-free satellite canopy scene 2 days old
- Timing corrected against 15 scored past seasons
Leaf-drop risk
Next 14 daysNo warnings or leaf-stripping weather in the window. Color that arrives should hold.
Next three weeks here
Aug 25
Aug 26
Aug 27
Aug 28
Aug 29
Aug 30
Aug 31
Sep 1
Sep 2
Sep 3
Sep 4
Sep 5
Sep 6
Sep 7
Sep 8
Sep 9
Sep 10
Sep 11
Sep 12
Sep 13
Sep 14
Peak dates, recent years
How this year's prediction compares with observed peaks here.
- 2022Oct 31
- 2023Nov 6
- 2024Nov 3
- 2025Oct 30
- 2026Nov 2
What turns here
- Sycamore
- Red maple
- River birch
- Hemlock
Weather notes
- The fall season has not started yet, so timing is on the historical baseline. Weather adjustments begin once September observations accumulate.
- Past seasons scored here ran 0.1 days earlier than the model expected, so that correction is applied.
Plan around it
GreenScenic drive
Little River Road
18 miles of river-hugging pavement between Townsend and Sugarlands - endless water-and-color pull-offs.
Photography
The Sinks
Waterfall with maples overhanging; long exposures work all day here.
Where to stay
Townsend cabins
Best choice if your trip is Cades Cove focused and you want early-morning loop access.