As late August approaches and summer winds down in many parts of country – fall starts to appear in the higher elevations and mountains ranges. I run several trips to photograph the fall colors in order of appearance – starting with the Brown Bears of Katmai in September (Alaska) and then moving on to Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite and Southern Utah in that order.

Generally many of my photographic journeys take place in the western United States and Alaska – however one of the most incredible spectacles in the Autumn months is the transition of colors in the hills of North Carolina and Tennessee – the Great Smoky Mountains. The colors in the Smokies are bewilderingly beautiful during late October with hazy ranges stretching off into infinity and lush waterfalls cascading through brilliant red, orange, yellow and green deciduous forests.

The Northern Hardwood forests are more akin to the Northern United States due to their altitude and temperature. The most common flora within the Northern Hardwood canopy are Yellow Birch, American Beech in addition to White Basswood, Mountain and Striped Maple as well as several species of grasses and ferns.

As people get further north and up into the higher elevations they run into the Boreal or Canadian forest which is largely coniferous. The Red Spruce & Fraser Fir are the two main residents up here.

Another excellent aspect to photographing the Great Smoky Mountains in Autumn is the wildlife. We typically have great opportunities for Black Bear & Elk in the meadows and woodlands of the smokies – areas like Cade’s Cove are excellent to break out that super telephoto!

Fall is a beautiful time in the Smokies and we always leave with excellent imagery! If you are interested in joining us checkout this link to the Great Smoky Mountains in Autumn Photography Tour & Workshop.