It has been a yearly tradition in my family to do road trips during this time of the year to check out the Fall Colors. Be it the Shasta counties in the North or Yosemite Valley in the east or the colorful vineyards. Or the mesmerizing colorful mountain range. This time we decided to go out of state to visit Tennessee, and North Carolina to experience fall colors in the Great Smokies. Fall colors in Smokies are not just beautiful, they are quite dramatic too. This time we visited Nashville, Natchez Parkway Arch Bridge, Franklin, Liepers Fork, Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherokee, Tellico Plains, and Cherohal Skyway. All these places can be experienced by car. The colorful surroundings all over the landscape light up reflecting the bright sun rays. The blue lakes also turn colorful.
The color change in this area starts in mid-October and continues until 1st week of November. Since most of these places are drivable it is quite a suitable trip for wheelchair users. Two to three days would be ideal to cover all these places.
We did this trip in three loops
- Franklin, Liepers Fork, Natzez Parkway
- Gatlinburg and the Great Smokies, Cherokee via Blueridge Pathway
- Tellico Plains and Cherohala Skyway
Franklin, Liepers Fork, and Natchez Parkway
On the way from Nashville to Knoxville, we took a little detour 21 miles south to Franklin. You will see the directions for Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge on the way. Within Natchez Trace State Park, there is a beautiful display of Fall foliage.
Wheelchair accessibility at Natchez Parkway ♿️ ♿️ ♿️
As one enters the park there are a few wheelchair accessible parking spots. That place is perfect for clicking the iconic fall foliage picture with the Double Arch bridge in the background. There is another vista point after crossing the Bridge. There is a wheelchair-accessible parking and one can roll to the back of the bridge. The fall foliage around the double arch is mesmerizing.
Franklin and Leipers Fork
Franklin is an old American town with its own Autumn charm. The downtown has many wheelchair parking. You can just roll around, enjoy the little boutiques, and grab some lunch. You can drive through the historic cities of Franklin and Liepers Fork and enjoy the autumn vibe.
On the way to Franklin just off Natchez Trace Parkway is the little village of Leipers Fork. You can do a quick drive through enjoying the countryside vibes.
Gatlinburg Lookout, Great Smokies, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherokee
Gatlinburg is a beautiful town in the Smokies. During the Autumn month, the weekends are packed with people doing various activities. The famous spots in Gatlinburg are
- Ober Mountain Aerial Tramway
- Gatlinburg Space Needle
- Gatlinburg Scenic Overlook
- Gatlinburg Skylift Park
We were planning to do some activities but the downtown was very crowded. So we decided to bypass the town and go to the Scenic Overlook to check out the beautiful 360 degrees view. The city looked amazing from the top with various shades of Smokies in the background. There is an accessible ♿️ parking in the lookout area. Take Hwy 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Gatlinburg. The drive ends in Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherokee, NC. You can stop at different locations on Hwy 441. The whole range looks like a beautiful artwork with beautiful fall foliage. The 33-mile stretch climbs to the top of the Newfound Gap, offering spectacular views along the way. There are several pull-outs with panoramic views of the mountains dotting the Highway and there are many vista points where you can park and they have some ♿️ wheelchair-accessible parking too. At the end of the beautiful drive, you reach the little town of Cherokee where you will find many antique and Souvenir shops selling local handicrafts. Just grab a bite and enjoy shopping
Wheelchair accessibility ♿️ ♿️
On Highway 441 you can enjoy all the views from the car itself. If you want you can park, there are some Vista points that have accessible parking.
Tellico Plains and Cherohala Pathway
Another place to see stunning fall foliage is Tellico Plains. Tellico Plain is a quaint vintage town with the perfect fall setting. This town is the starting point for the beautiful Cherohala Skyway which connects Tellico Plains, Tennessee to Robbinsville, NC. There are several spectacular scenic vistas on the Tennessee side. Brushy Ridge and Turkey Creek overlook are beautiful places for experiencing fall foliage. Falls Branch’s scenic overlook is also very beautiful and there are some picnic tables to enjoy a picnic with the beautiful fall foliage backdrop A detour to Bald River Falls on paved Forest Service Road 210 is well worth the short trip. Water cascades over 100 feet onto the rocks below and looks wonderful. This is a wheelchair-friendly activity and can be all done by car.
Wheelchair accessibility ♿️ ♿️
There are some wheelchair-accessible parking in the town of Tellico planes. The rest of the drive through the Cherohala Parkway can be done by car with some stops at the Vista points.
