Roaring Fork in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

© Bernie Kasper/Getty Image

Falling for Tennessee

Although it might not look like it in this image of a tranquil fall day, Roaring Fork in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park has earned its ferocious name. The stream descends 760 metres over just 3.2 kilometres—a steep drop. After heavy rains, Roaring Fork transforms into a whitewater rush, the sound echoing off the mountainsides. But during drier spells, the stream quiets to more of a babbling brook, as seen here along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. The 8.8-kilometre popular loop drive passes waterfalls, well-preserved historic log cabins, and scenic overlooks of a forest that during this time of year reaches its fall colour peak, exploding in bold yellows, oranges, and reds. These are just some of the things that make Great Smoky Mountains the most popular national park in the United States.