Leaf Peepers Unit ! (Kingsport, Bristol, Elizabethton: moving, best, park)

[BamaNoBanjo]

Hello All,
I'm hoping to bring my mother up to the Smokies for the foliage this year. Can you tell me your opinion on how good the color will be this year? I heard that last year was not so good because of the drought and that the drought might have the same effect this year. I'm grateful for any help as we live about 7 hours away.

[hiknapster]

Well, there were a lot of people on the forum that said that last year was fantastic. I think that's a bunch of baloney. About one-eighth of the leaves were already brown and dead by the time October rolled around.

This year, it rained on a fairly-regular basis up to August, so things looked pretty good, but we've had very little rain, since then. Although my oaks looked pretty healthy, a lot of the leaves are suddenly turning brown without turning a nice color. The rest of my trees look okay.

I guess it may not be as bad as last year.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by BamaNoBanjo

Hello All,
I'm hoping to bring my mother up to the Smokies for the foliage this year. Can you tell me your opinion on how good the color will be this year? I heard that last year was not so good because of the drought and that the drought might have the same effect this year. I'm grateful for any help as we live about 7 hours away.

Last year peak fall foliage was about 2.5 to 3 weeks late. It peaked where I live the week before Thanksgiving. My photos of Fall color from 2007 are dated 11/16 and 11/17. It was so late, they postponed leaf pickup twice because the leaves fell off the trees so late. I remember the posts from last year and we didn't think we'd have a Fall -- we thought they'd go straight to brown. I think the color was okay, it was just very late. I don't think it will be bad this year or late.

I'm actually a little worried it's going to be early for some things I've got scheduled.

There are two webcams (scroll down) in the Smokies you can check every day.

Fall for Tennessee -- Weekly Foliage Reports

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by Tinman313

Are those... "The Blue Birds of Happiness"....... Beautiful photo's the Lake ( Norris ? ) is down... what beauty...... Thanks for sharing .....

Saw a lot of bluebirds yesterday and a ton of Starlings but I photographed my first Norther Flicker. I would have posted that one but it didn't belong in this thread because there weren't Fall colors in the pic.

Those bluebirds are sitting on the fence around the pool at Norris Dam State Park. I thought it was really funny because bluebirds are usually the most colorful thing in a pic...but not with a red/yellow leaf background and a big green fence.

[kamoshika]

LauraC, thanks for the sensational pics!

I went back to Kingsport's Warriors Path State Park today and snapped a bunch of shots. I was astounded at how much the color has exploded this week! Many maples and oaks, including spectacular scarlet oaks, are already fully ablaze. I don't recall ever seeing this much color this early in the fall.

FWIW, most of the photos below were taken from the mountain bike trails in the park and on the road leading to the bike trails:

[Tinman313]

Again... with such beautiful pictures I would guess the color has something to do with all the rain.

[Grizzlybear34]

Kamo - I can't rep you (have to spread more love apparently), but those are excellent shots! Thanks so much for sharing. What is the elevation you are at? would it be corrct to assume the higher the elevation and the further north you go, the sooner the leaves turn?

[Grizzlybear34]

Here is a shot from the Lake Nickajack area at the Tennessee/georgia line in the Cumberland Plateau. Elevation here is about 1500 feet. Not much changing just yet.

[JoAnn5]

Kamo, those are breathtaking!!! Wow! Thanks for posting them.

[Bones]

Tinman313, look familiar....