Smokies alerts
Newfound Gap Road, Thomas Ridge Overlook

Fall colors

Smokies and Tennessee Fall Colors

Fall color reports for the Great Smoky Mountains, forecasts at high overlooks, frost and freeze alerts, and the status of the scenic roads.

Color reportScenic road status
  • Forecasts checked hourly
  • Road status every 30 minutes

Get an email when a warning covers the Smokies counties, or when the Tail of the Dragon or Cherohala Skyway closes.

Know before you drive up

Photo: Newfound Gap Road, Thomas Ridge Overlook. Washuotaku, CC BY-SA 4.0

Map

Tennessee fall color spots on the map

Not yetSmokies fall color report, 2026
0Frost or freeze alerts
0Counties under them
6,643 ftHighest overlook, Kuwohi
Benton CountyBledsoe CountyCampbell CountyClay CountyCoffee CountyDyer CountyGrainger CountyHardeman CountyHickman CountyKnox CountyLoudon CountyMarshall CountyMorgan CountyPolk CountyScott CountyUnion CountyWashington CountyWhite CountyWilson CountyBradley CountyCarroll CountyCheatham CountyClaiborne CountyCrockett CountyCumberland CountyDeKalb CountyFayette CountyFentress CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyHamilton CountyHancock CountyHardin CountyHenderson CountyHouston CountyJackson CountyLake CountyLewis CountyMcMinn CountyMcNairy CountyMacon CountyMaury CountyMontgomery CountyPerry CountyPickett CountyPutnam CountyAnderson CountyBedford CountyRhea CountyRobertson CountyRutherford CountySevier CountyStewart CountyTipton CountyVan Buren CountyWarren CountyBlount CountyCarter CountyDavidson CountyFranklin CountyHamblen CountyHaywood CountyHumphreys CountyLawrence CountyMadison CountyMoore CountyOverton CountyRoane CountySmith CountySumner CountyWeakley CountyWilliamson CountyChester CountyDecatur CountyDickson CountyGibson CountyGiles CountyCocke CountyHawkins CountyHenry CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyLauderdale CountyLincoln CountyMarion CountyMeigs CountyMonroe CountyObion CountySequatchie CountyShelby CountySullivan CountyUnicoi CountyWayne CountyTrousdale CountyCannon CountyKuwohi (Clingmans Dome), 6,643 ftNewfound Gap, 5,046 ftCades Cove, 1,800 ftFoothills Parkway at Look Rock, 2,600 ftRoan Mountain at Carvers Gap, 5,512 ftFall Creek Falls State Park, 1,700 ft
Above 4,000 ftBelow 4,000 ftFrost or freeze alert
Overlooks with a forecast on this page, and counties under a frost or freeze alert.

Report

Smokies fall color report, 2026

Retrieved Oct 30, 7:35 am ET (6:35 am CT)

The Great Smoky Mountains Association, the park’s nonprofit partner, has not posted a 2026 fall color report yet. A link appears here when it does.

Above 4,000 feet

Color usually develops from early to mid October, against the evergreen spruce-fir forest on the highest ridges.

Below 4,000 feet

The most brilliant color is common from mid October to early November: sugar maple, scarlet oak, sweetgum, red maple, yellow poplar and hickories.

Why it moves downhill

The park runs from 875 to 6,643 feet, so color arrives in waves, starting on the peaks and working down to the valleys over several weeks.

Timing by elevation from the National Park Service.

Forecast

Forecast at Tennessee fall color overlooks

Temperatures at high overlooks run well below the valleys. Overnight lows near freezing speed up the color change.

PlaceElevationForecast this hourNext overnight low
Kuwohi (Clingmans Dome) Great Smoky Mountains6,643 ft57°F, Mostly SunnyTonight: 49°F
Newfound Gap Great Smoky Mountains5,046 ft59°F, Mostly SunnyTonight: 49°F
Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains1,800 ft70°F, Mostly SunnyTonight: 59°F
Foothills Parkway at Look Rock Great Smoky Mountains2,600 ft64°F, Mostly SunnyTonight: 57°F
Roan Mountain at Carvers Gap Northeast Tennessee5,512 ft59°F, SunnyTonight: 47°F
Fall Creek Falls State Park Cumberland Plateau1,700 ft67°F, SunnyTonight: 52°F

National Weather Service hourly and 7-day forecasts for each spot’s grid square. Elevations are approximate. Cold nights and sunny days bring out the brightest reds.

Alerts

Frost and freeze alerts in Tennessee

Source updated Oct 30, 11:45 am ET (10:45 am CT) · Retrieved Oct 30, 11:45 am ET (10:45 am CT)

The National Weather Service had no frost advisory or freeze warning in effect for Tennessee at the time of this reading.

All Tennessee weather alerts.

Roads

Smokies scenic roads: open or closed

National Park Service closures and road events. Each road links to its own status page with the forecast along it.

Retrieved Oct 30, 11:20 am ET (10:20 am CT)

Scenic roadStatusPark Service note
Newfound Gap RoadNo closure listed
Clingmans Dome RoadNo closure listed
Cades Cove Loop RoadNo closure listed
Roaring Fork Motor Nature TrailNo closure listed
Foothills ParkwayNo closure listed
Little River RoadNo closure listed
Rich Mountain RoadNo closure listed
Cosby RoadNo closure listed

All Smokies closures and alerts

Tennessee email alerts

Pick your county, utility or highway and get an email when a weather warning, a large outage or a full road closure happens there.

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Helpful links

Helpful links for a fall color trip

Links marked affiliate may earn Tennessee Conditions a commission at no cost to you.

Tennessee fall color questions

When is peak fall color in the Smokies?

Above 4,000 feet, color usually develops from early to mid October. Below 4,000 feet the brightest color is common from mid October to early November. The exact peak changes from year to year with weather.

Where does fall color start in Tennessee?

On the highest peaks. In the Smokies, yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush and pin cherry turn first, as early as mid September, and color works down to the valleys over several weeks.

Is there a 2026 Smokies fall color report?

Not yet. The Great Smoky Mountains Association has not posted its 2026 report; it is linked here when it does.

Are there frost or freeze alerts in Tennessee?

No. The National Weather Service had no frost advisory or freeze warning in effect for Tennessee as of 11:45 am ET on Oct 30.

How busy are the Smokies in October?

October is the busiest month of the year in the park, and drives can take hours longer than usual. A parking tag is required to park in the park for more than 15 minutes.

Are the fall color roads open?

The table on this page shows the Park Service’s current closures for Newfound Gap Road, Clingmans Dome Road, Cades Cove, Roaring Fork and other scenic roads. Each road links to its own status page.

Also checked

Beyond fall colors: more Tennessee conditions

Power outages9 utilities listing outagesWeather alertsNo active weather alertsRivers and floodingNo gauges at action stageLake levelsNorris Lake 1,002.75 ftSmokies roads3 road events listedRoad closures4 road closures listedNational park sites13 park alerts listedAir qualityHighest now: Chattanooga 81 (Moderate)Airport delaysNo FAA delays listedWildfires and drought70.86% of the state in drought (D1+)Burn bansNo county burn bans in effectDrought by county77 counties with some drought (D1+)Earthquakes26 in the last 30 daysAttractions and caves28 places, no weather alertsTrail and park closures22 state park trail sections closedNashville bus alerts26 WeGo alerts in effectMajor events2 events in the last 30 days

Where the data for fall colors comes from

Every reading is credited to its source, with the time it was taken. Corrections and source questions go to the sources page.

Data sourcesUpdates log

Photo: Cumberland Trail at Eagle Bluff. Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0