Cades Cove
Lower-elevation color can last into early November; later visits become more about the valley’s buildings and bare-tree views.
November · Cades Cove
What to see and do in Great Smoky Mountains in November
Choose a November outing that fits the route, weather and effort involved.
Newfound Gap
Prepare for a winter mountain drive even if the valley feels mild. Check the road before climbing.
November · Newfound Gap
Great Smoky Mountains weather in November
November’s normal high is 58°F and low is 34°F, with 4.02 inches of precipitation. The Gatlinburg 2 SW cooperative observer station sits at about 1,454 ft in the Tennessee gateway corridor, near the elevation of Sugarlands Visitor Center and the lower Newfound Gap Road. The park rises to 6,643 ft at Kuwohi, and the high country runs colder and snowier than this station, so treat these numbers as a lower-elevation guide and check a high-elevation forecast before a high-country trip.
Cooler Hotter
Jan
High47°F
Low27°F
Precip · in4.75
Feb
High51°F
Low29°F
Precip · in4.27
Mar
High59°F
Low35°F
Precip · in5.58
Apr
High69°F
Low42°F
Precip · in4.93
May
High75°F
Low51°F
Precip · in5.50
Jun
High80°F
Low59°F
Precip · in5.99
Jul
High83°F
Low63°F
Precip · in6.31
Aug
High82°F
Low62°F
Precip · in4.40
Sep
High78°F
Low56°F
Precip · in4.34
Oct
High69°F
Low44°F
Precip · in3.19
Nov
High58°F
Low34°F
Precip · in4.02
Dec
High50°F
Low29°F
Precip · in4.92
Great Smoky Mountains crowds in November
November averages 992,043 recreation visits, 62% of the peak monthly average in October.
LowestLowModerateHighPeakAverage month: 1,068,610November
Tips for your November visit
Check the approach before choosing the rest of the day.
AGatlinburg EntranceBTownsend EntranceCCherokee Entrance
- Park boundary
Gatlinburg Entrance
Normal road approach, subject to weather and individual site restrictions.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Crowds
- 2021–2025 monthly averages. NPS recreation visits, compared with the park’s own busiest month. Visits are not unique visitors or a count of people on a trail.
- Weather
- 1991-2020 climate normals. NOAA’s Gatlinburg 2 SW, TN station. These describe typical weather at the station, not every part of the park or a forecast.
- Roads & lodging
- Normal seasonal schedules. NPS guidance and official operator information. Confirm access, hours and availability before you travel.
Historical records and data-quality checks
- Visit history: 1979–2025 NPS monthly recreation visits.
- Weather history: 1921–2025 daily observations, separate from climate normals. We average daily highs and lows and total the rain for each month.
- Complete months only: every day must pass our quality checks for that metric. Missing or incomplete records stay blank; we never interpolate.
- Excluded measurements: flagged, presumed-zero and lagged values. Trace rain counts as zero measurable rainfall.