"'If your thoughts immediately turn to New England when you think of fall foliage, Great Smoky Mountains National Park would like to have a word,' says Palmer. Straddling the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, the park is home to 16 mountain peaks higher than 6,000 feet in elevation. 'This greater verticality can translate into a longer period of ‘peak foliage’ when the leaves are at their most spectacular,' he says. 'Foliage changes first at higher (and thus colder) elevations and slowly progresses down-slope. In theory, at least, this means a more prolonged top-to-bottom progression of fall’s brightest colors for intrepid visitors to savor.'" - Travel + Leisure Editors
