Easin' Along | Easin' Along

Fall colors are on full display in the mountains around East Tennessee. I can’t remember when we had a show like the one we’re enjoying this year. Although dry weather conditions have prevailed lately, generous amounts of rain earlier this summer probably provided just enough of the magic needed to light up our hills and valleys. Helen and I decided we needed a front-row seat, so we packed up Dora and traveled into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a closer look.

We reserved three nights at our favorite campground in Cherokee, NC. Helen made sure we had a campsite along the creek. Cherokee is on the eastern edge of the National Park and Happy Holiday campground is just a few miles from the Oconoluftee Visitor Center at the Park entrance. We left after church this past Sunday and made the two-hour drive through some heavy traffic. It seemed many fellow leaf-peepers would join us.

Campsite number 86 would serve as our base of operations for the next three days. The leaf color across the creek from our spot provided a taste of what was to come. The reds and oranges stood out brilliantly. After hooking up, we decided to pay a quick visit to the casino for Happy Hour to get the trip rolling. Cherokee Casino is excellent entertainment, and we always have fun there regardless of the outcome. Still, our priority for this trip to Cherokee was catching a significant glimpse of Fall color.

I had my camera out early the following day because the trees across from our campsite offered a colorful foreground to the low-lying clouds hovering overhead. The bright blue sky added quite a contrast to the yellow and green of the maple tree. I titled this picture “Mist Over the Mountain.”

After cleaning up the breakfast dishes, we jumped in the truck and made our way up the mountain to the Newfound Gap overlook at 5,000 feet. We weren’t the only ones there—the parking lot was crowded, and I had to circle it twice before finding an empty spot. Helen and I counted license plates representing over twenty states in the short walk to the overlook.

We came for color and were not disappointed. All of Newfound Gap was filled with brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows, with just a touch of Evergreen to pull it all together. I had difficulty putting my camera down, but I gave it to a couple from Georgia and asked them to take our picture at the North Carolina/Tennessee Border (Picture Gallery). On our way down the mountain, Helen took a few photos through the windshield illustrating the fantastic scenery along the road.

We felt like we needed some exercise on Tuesday, so we planned a hike along Deep Creek in another area of the National Park near Bryson City, North Carolina, about 10 miles away. The hiking trail is adjacent to the parking area, and the canopy of color invites in. This side of the National Park is busy but not as crowded as Newfound Gap.

The dry conditions have taken a toll on Deep Creek, but the leaf color filled the void. Tom’s Branch Falls was just a trickle compared to our visits in the past. A small portion of the waterfall’s base provided a pretty good target for the camera. We followed the trail to Indian Creek Falls and back for a hike of about three miles. Three miles isn’t as much as we needed, but hey, we’re moving. The overhead color was stunning. An unwelcome visitor escorted us for a portion of the trail. In Bryson City, we stopped for another picture.

We had to hustle back home on Wednesday, so that’s about it for this trip. Be sure to check out the Picture Gallery that follows this post—as I said, it was difficult to put the camera down.