Past seasons
When has color actually peaked here?
Booking non-refundable dates? Compare every recorded autumn for one area side by side, and see which weeks have hit peak most often.
Peak date by year — Great Smoky Mountains
Earliest peak
Oct 10
2022
Latest peak
Nov 6
2016
Recorded spread
27 days
15 autumns
Peak dates reflect each autumn's recorded weather for this area. They show timing differences, not a guarantee for future seasons.
Every season side by side
4 of 15 autumns ran early, 6 ran late, and 5 landed close to the average.
- 2025Oct 295 days late
- 2024Oct 176 days early
- 2023Oct 177 days early
- 2022Oct 1014 days early
- 2021Oct 262 days late
- 2020Oct 307 days late
- 2019Nov 310 days late
- 2018Oct 204 days early
- 2017Oct 295 days late
- 2016Nov 614 days late
- 2015Oct 306 days late
- 2014Oct 251 days late
- 2013Oct 273 days late
- 2012Oct 212 days early
- 2011Oct 222 days early
Which week should I book?
How often peak color landed in each week of the fall, out of 15 recorded autumns in Great Smoky Mountains.
- Oct 6 – Oct 121 of 15 (7%)
- Oct 13 – Oct 192 of 15 (13%)
- Oct 20 – Oct 265 of 15 (33%)
- Oct 27 – Nov 25 of 15 (33%)
- Nov 3 – Nov 92 of 15 (13%)
About historical trends
Historical trends are planning estimates of when color typically peaks in each area. They are not guarantees of any specific year's color — weather can shift timing by a week or more.