Smoky Mountains Around Town / October 2018 Issue

Page 10 Around Town
Never Paint Your Nails Again!
No tools ! No heater ! Last two weeks !
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Cheryl Massey
While cabins, chalets and RV rentals are a fun way to
enjoy the Great Smoky Mountains, there is nothing quite
like camping in a tent under the stars! When staying at the
Greenbrier Campground in a tent, you can fully enjoy the
delightful sights and sounds of the Smokies! Here are the
top 4 reasons why tent camping in the Smoky Mountains
is the ultimate outdoor experience:
1. EDUCATIONAL AND FUN FOR KIDS
If you are planning a family camping trip to Greenbrier
Campground, tent camping can be an educational and fun
experience for your kids! Your children will love being
involved with setting up the tent, learning about nature
Top 4 Reasons Tent Camping In The Smoky Mountains Is The Ultimate Outdoor Experience
by Greenbrier Campground
Name a Species
Water Bear
Every year researchers discover many
new species of life here in the
smokies. The cost to name one of
DLIA’s newly discovered creatures
ranges from $2,500 to $10,000.
and enjoying our campground facilities. We have all types
of fun things for kids to do, including a private swimming
area and recreational activities such as volleyball, corn
hole and horseshoes! After an exciting day in our
campground, gather around the campfire at your site and
create wonderful family memories that are sure to last a
lifetime!
2. RECONNECTS YOU WITH NATURE
In this modern world of cell phones, laptop computers and
other devices, it is easy to be distracted from the natural
joys of our beautiful planet! When tent camping in the
Smoky Mountains at the Greenbrier Campground, you
can reconnect with nature and fully appreciate the great
outdoors! While we do offer complimentary wireless
internet access at our campground, take a few days to
disconnect from the outside world and enjoy everything
that the Smokies have to offer!
3. UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT
While there are certainly many places across the country
where you can decide to camp, there is just something
special about the Smoky Mountains! Whether it is the
crisp mountain air, the stunning wildflowers or the
gorgeous mountain peaks, a tent camping adventure at the
Greenbrier Campground is the perfect way to enjoy the
Smokies! Our campground is particularly appealing as it
Donors who name a species will
receive a print of their named
organism, as well as a copy of the
scientific publication in which it is
first described. The species naming
process typically takes a year or
longer to complete, as the scientific
process of careful research, paper
s u b m i s s i o n , a n d r e v i e w f o r
publication is very involved.
Questions? Interested in naming a
species? DLIA is happy to help. Call
us at (865) 430-4757 or email
todd@dlia.org.
is surrounded by the Little Pigeon River, which offers
excellent trout fishing along the banks. If you plan on
exploring the trails at the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, the Greenbrier entrance to the park is less
than a half mile away from our campground!
4. ANYONE CAN DO IT
It is not necessary to be an outdoor expert to enjoy tent
camping in the Smoky Mountains, as anyone can do it!
Whether it is your first time staying overnight in a tent or
you are a seasoned veteran, you will love every minute of
your stay at the Greenbrier Campground! You can also
take comfort knowing that we have plenty of facilities for
your use, including a luxury bath house and laundry
facilities. Our campground facilities are accessible to
everyone, and we even allow your furry companions to
join you on your camping trip! As a pet-friendly
campground, we love our four-legged friends, and we
would be happy to welcome your beloved pet to our
property!
Check out all of our information about tent camping in the
Smoky Mountains and make your reservation today to
enjoy the ultimate outdoor experience! We look forward
to seeing you soon at the Greenbrier Campground!
www.smokymountaincamping.com
Eastbend Automotive
Oil Changes, Tires, Brakes, Tune-Ups and Friendly Service!
(Next to 1885 East Parkway, at the corner of Highway 321 and Mills Park Road)
103 Mills Park Road, Gatlinburg • (865) 325-8266
Fall colors schedule by month in Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains
The notion that peak color season in Great
Smoky Mountains National Park happens in
mid-October is a misconception. The
marvelous colors of autumn actually light up
the Smokies for seven weeks or more as the
peak elevations move down the mountainsides
from the highest elevations to the foothills.
Autumn in Great Smoky Mountains National
Park is a special time when a glorious leaf
season of several weeks is enjoyed by visitors
as fall colors travel down the mountainsides
from the highest elevations to the foothills. The
kaleidoscope of fall colors in the Smoky
Mountains is magnificent and varied because
of the amazing diversity of trees. Some 100
species of native trees live in the Smokies, the
vast majority of which are deciduous. The
timing of fall color change depends upon so
many variables that the exact dates of “peak”
season are impossible to predict in advance.
In the Smoky Mountains, autumn color
displays above 4,000 feet start as early as mid-
September with the turning of yellow birch,
American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush
and pin cherry, clearly visible from such
vantage points as Clingmans Dome Road.
The fall color display usually reaches peak at
middle and lower elevations between mid-
October and early November. This is the park’s
most spectacular display as it includes such
colorful trees as sugar maple, scarlet oak,
sweetgum, red maple, and the hickories.
By the later stages of September, the right
ingredients are beginning to emerge, the time
when cooler temperatures and sunny days mix
with some rainfall to bring on a spectacular
autumn color display in Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. The timing of color
change and leaf fall is primarily sparked by the
calendar; that is, the increasing length of night.
As days grow shorter and nights grow longer
and cooler, chemical processes in the leaf begin
to paint the landscape with Nature’s autumn
palette in the Smoky Mountains.
While the typical peak of fall leaf color is at the
middle to lower elevations where the greatest
diversity of trees live, emerging changes above
4,000 feet begin the parade of fall colors, which
then moves down the mountainsides into the
valleys of the Smoky Mountains. The high
country is still predominantly green.
Sourwood, dogwood, maple, sassafras and
birch trees are the first to make the change,
turning red, orange and yellow. At this point,
there is just a hint of fall color change among
those early autumn starters. Perhaps more
notable now are the autumn wildflowers in the
Smoky Mountains, including cardinal flower,
black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, great blue
lobelia, skunk goldenrod, southern harebell,
ironweed, and a variety of asters, as well as the
bright fruits on trees and shrubs such as heartsa-bustin.
September suggested scenic drives
for seeing fall colors in the Smoky Mountains
include: Parsons Branch Road, Newfound Gap
Road and Clingmans Dome Road.
September’s suggested hikes for seeing the
Smoky Mountains in autumn: Albright Grove
and Sugarland Mountain Trail as well as high
elevation hikes to Andrews Bald or Mt.
LeConte would be time well spent.
Another colorful fall foliage opportunity
includes a motor tour of the recently reopened
Parson Branch Road, an eight-mile one-way
narrow, low speed byway. The road provides
motorists an opportunity to drive through a
large area of mature second growth forest and
experience the quiet and solitude a back-inthe-woods
journey has to offer.
By the beginning of October, trees in the
Smoky Mountains high country that are now
showing bright fall colors are the yellows of
American beech and yellow birch and different
shades of reds on mountain ash, pin cherry and
mountain maple. In the lower elevations, a few
early color changing species such as sourwood
and sumac are showing bright reds now, but are
scattered. Some dogwoods and maples are
beginning to turn different colors in some areas
as well. Fall wildflowers such as goldenrod and
asters are colorful throughout the park and
some blueberry and blackberry shrubs are also
changing color, as well as the Virginia creeper.
Bright golds and yellows of American beech,
yellow birch, and yellow buckeye and different
shades of reds on mountain ash, pin and black
cherry and mountain maple are painting the
landscape. The big rounded leaves of witchhobble
are showing fine displays of color
ranging from yellow to red.
The majority of the deciduous forest at 4,000
feet elevation and below is still predominantly
green, but now with splashes of color dotting
the slopes. Sourwood and sumac are showing
bright reds; some dogwoods and maples are
turning different colors in some areas as well.
Fall wildflowers such as mountain gentian,
black cohosh, and goldenrod are colorful
throughout the park and some blueberry and
blackberry shrubs are also in color, as well as
the Virginia creeper plant.
Because the Great Smoky Mountains provide a
range of elevations between 875 and 6,643 feet
in the Park with differing moisture conditions
and habitats, many trees will still produce
significant color as the Park moves into its peak
autumn season. High elevation trails such as
Sugarland Mountain Trail and Appalachian
Trail, accessed at Clingmans Dome or
Newfound Gap, would be good hikes for this
time of year. Also, roads leading into the high
country, including Newfound Gap Road,
Heintooga Ridge Road, Foothills Parkway
West and East, and Rich Mountain Road out of
Cades Cove, are the best options for seeing fall
colors in the Smoky Mountains.
By mid-October at the lower elevations, fall
color is nudging along. It is the sunny days and
cooler nights that instigate the biochemical
processes in the leaf to begin. The Park
continues to experience very dry and warmerthan-normal
conditions. These conditions will
affect the timing, duration, and intensity of fall
leaf season. The peak of color at the lower
elevations is over a week away. In the valleys,
black gum, dogwood, sumac, and sourwood
trees continue to show vivid reds. Golds are
coming along on tulip tree, black walnut, birch,
beech and hickories. A few scattered maples
and oaks are showing the first signs of fall
colors in lower regions of the Smoky
Mountains.
A succession of warm, sunny days and cool
crisp, but not freezing nights will bring about
the most spectacular color display. At this part
of the autumn season, some areas of the Smoky
Mountains are showing more reds throughout
the landscape than in other years. This may be
due to the fact that the pigment anthocyanin,
which gives color to such familiar things as
cranberries, red apples, and blueberries, is in
high production because of drought
conditions. Anthocyanin is produced in
response to lots of light and excess plant sugars
within leaf cells. The carotenoids which
produce yellow, orange, and brown colors are
present in the green leaf but begin showing
after the chlorophyll breaks down.
As the leaf color increases, so does the number
of autumn leaf peekers. While scenic drives are
a good way to see fall colors in the Smoky
Mountains, taking to the trails is a wonderful
way to enjoy the splendors of autumn.
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