Cades Cove Loop Road
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee · 1,712 ft
Typical peak
Oct 21 – Oct 29
high confidence in typical timing.
Best light
Best at sunrise
An 11-mile one-way loop around a valley floor at about 1,700 feet, with log cabins, the John Oliver place and split-rail fence lines running against the ridge wall. Because the cove sits so low it peaks late, often two weeks behind Newfound Gap directly uphill.
Seasonal model estimate. Timing remains uncertain; check recent reports before traveling. Source: seasonal timing model. Calculated .
Crowds
extreme
Expect heavy peak-weekend traffic; consider a weekday or arrive before dawn.
Getting there
Enter the one-way Cades Cove Loop Road at the end of Laurel Creek Road, about seven miles west of Townsend off TN 73.
What turns here
- sugar maple
- tulip poplar
- black gum
Color progression
Typical peak Oct 25Typical color progression for Cades Cove Loop Road. No change from Sep 17 to Oct 4. First color from Oct 4 to Oct 13. Approaching peak from Oct 13 to Oct 21. Peak from Oct 21 to Oct 29. Past peak from Oct 29 to Nov 8. Bare from Nov 8 to Nov 22.
Cades Cove Loop Road is typically at past peak on Nov 1, 2026.
This season so far
First frost
None yet
No night at or below 32°F since Aug 1.
Last 14 days
70°F / 46°F
Average daily high and low.
Modeled weather for these coordinates from the Open-Meteo historical archive, Aug 1 – Oct 31; not a station record. Reported peak is the median date of approved peak-color reports.
Plan the light
Cades Cove Loop Road on October 25, 2026, the center of its typical peak window.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:24 AM |
| Sunrise Rises ESE · 104° | 7:50 AM |
| Morning golden hour ends 35 min of low, warm light | 8:25 AM |
| Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light | 1:19 PM |
| Evening golden hour starts 35 min before sunset | 6:13 PM |
| Sunset Sets WSW · 256° | 6:48 PM |
| Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:14 PM |
Times in America/New York · day length 10h 58m · computed from NOAA solar equations.
Local terrain can hide the sun; allow extra time to reach your viewpoint.
Which way to point the camera
Sun rises ESE, sets WSW.
Aim within 45° of the sun for translucent leaves. Turn your back to it for flat, accurate color.
Shooting conditions
Glassy water, wind blur, and what the cloud will do to your light.
Recent reports
What people actually saw here. Been recently? Add yours.
Nearby locations
Within 100 miles in a straight line; road distances can be longer.
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