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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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Wilderness Area·Tennessee·16,212 acres

Citico Creek Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 25Aim for Oct 24 to 27
In the wilderness today, Nov 10Fading
SepOctNov

Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.

Weather Hard frost Friday night. Peak may come early and go fast.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-40I-75I-140US 19VonoreGreenbackMaryvilleMadisonvilleAthensAlcoaLenoir CitySweetwaterJoyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wildernesspeak Oct 23Nantahalapeak Oct 19Great Smoky Mountainspeak Oct 24Southern Nantahala Wildernesspeak Oct 21Cherokeepeak Oct 25Citico Creek Wilderness
I-40I-75I-140US 19VonoreGreenbackMaryvilleMadisonvilleAndrewsSweetwaterLenoir CityLoudonJoyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wildernesspeak Oct 23Nantahalapeak Oct 19Great Smoky Mountainspeak Oct 24Cherokeepeak Oct 25Citico Creek Wilderness
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Citico Creek Wilderness Nearly all of the wilderness is in Monroe County, which is just past peak today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 5 days later than the wilderness’s own stands: the wilderness is fading. Graham County, to the east, is 6 days ahead.
Citico Creek Wilderness fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Oct 25, best Oct 24 to 27.
Save or share this mapToday’s Citico Creek Wilderness fall foliage map as a picture, redrawn every morning. Free to reuse with credit to More Than Just Parks and a link back; the terms.Save the mapPin itFacebookXEmail

When is peak fall foliage at Citico Creek Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Citico Creek Wilderness around Oct 25, and the four days to aim for are Oct 24 to 27.

The wilderness runs from about 1,966 to 4,314 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 12 days: the high stands around Oct 19, the low ground around Oct 29. That's 4 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Citico Creek Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the wildernessElevation at peak
Oct 5 to Oct 11Starting to turn
Oct 12 to Oct 18Nearly peak
Oct 19 to Oct 25Peak color2,500 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 3,500 ft, 3,500 to 4,000 ft, 4,000 to 4,500 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Peak color1,500 to 2,000 ft, 2,000 to 2,500 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8Just past peak
By elevation The wilderness runs from about 1,966 to 4,314 feet. That’s 12 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 19, the low ground holds until about Oct 29, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 2,500 to 3,000 foot band.
  1. 4,000–4,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1910%
  2. 3,500–4,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2123%
  3. 3,000–3,500 ftFadingpeak Oct 2323%
  4. 2,500–3,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2520%
  5. 2,000–2,500 ftFadingpeak Oct 2716%
  6. 1,500–2,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 296%

Height off 3DEP inside the wilderness’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the wilderness stands in it.

The latest daylight frame from the NEON.D07.GRSM.DP1.00033 camera, 10 km from Citico Creek Wilderness
Latest daylight frame PhenoCam Network, Great Smoky Mountains National Park camera, 10 km away, captured Nov 9.

That’s 4 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.

Plan this trip

If you can only come on certain days

Set the days you can be here. Everything under them answers for those days, not for peak.

Saturday, October 24 to Sunday, October 25

You’ll find it just past peak up high, nearly peak lower down.

Up at 4,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 19; down at 2,500 feet they hold on until about Oct 27. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 4,000–4,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 19
  • 3,500–4,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 21
  • 3,000–3,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 23
  • 2,500–3,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 25
  • 2,000–2,500 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 27
Where to drive
Cherohala Skyway, about 6 miles · Newfound Gap Road, about 38 miles · Blue Ridge Parkway (NC Section), about 108 miles
What turns
northern red oak, red maple, white oak, shagbark hickory, sugar maple

What turns, and when

Also named across Tennessee, outside what the canopy read measures here: Sourwood.

The Great Smoky Mountains produce a warm, layered fall where tulip poplars turn gold, sourwoods go crimson, hickories fade to bronze, and the ridgelines recede in hazy waves of color.

Questions people ask about Citico Creek Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Citico Creek Wilderness?

Our forecast puts peak color at Citico Creek Wilderness around Oct 25, and the four days to aim for are Oct 24 to 27.

Where is the best fall color at Citico Creek Wilderness right now?

On Nov 10 the wilderness is fading. The last band to peak was 1,500 to 2,000 feet, around Oct 29.

How long does peak last at Citico Creek Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Oct 24 to 27, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 12 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 16 days.

Is Citico Creek Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 25, and on Nov 10 it's fading.

What trees turn color at Citico Creek Wilderness?

Tulip Poplar, Red Maple, Sourwood, Hickory, White Oak. The Great Smoky Mountains produce a warm, layered fall where tulip poplars turn gold, sourwoods go crimson, hickories fade to bronze, and the ridgelines recede in hazy waves of color.

This forecast is built from the species that stand here, their elevation and this September’s weather, and corrected in season by cameras, foresters and our own crew. We score it here against 16 long-running forest cameras: two dates in three land within 7 days of the camera’s own peak. How this map is made

All of Tennessee

Nearby, and when they turn

Nantahala and Great Smoky Mountains and Southern Nantahala Wilderness are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Brasstown WildernessGA · about 38 miles
    Peak Oct 25 best Oct 24 to 27
  2. Mark Trail WildernessGA · about 45 miles
    Peak Oct 26 best Oct 25 to 28
  3. Tray Mountain WildernessGA · about 46 miles
    Peak Oct 26 best Oct 25 to 28

Fall color roads near Citico Creek Wilderness

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.

  • Cherohala Skyway · about 6 miles, NC · 43 miles of road

    Connects Robbinsville, NC to Tellico Plains, TN across the Unicoi Mountains. Less traffic than the Parkway, equally spectacular.

  • Newfound Gap Road · about 38 miles, TN · 33 miles of road

    Crosses the spine of the Great Smokies at 5,046 feet. Color peaks at the top in early October and at the base by late October.

  • Blue Ridge Parkway (NC Section) · about 108 miles, NC · 252 miles of road

    Mile markers 217 to 469. The highest and most dramatic section. Waterrock Knob, Craggy Gardens, and Graveyard Fields are must-stop overlooks.