Reflections in the Morning Mist

Great Smoky Mountains and Surrounding Area - Fall of 2022

I was fortunate enough to spend some wonderful time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this fall and tried to spend as much time in the outdoors as possible during my trip.  There is nothing quite as refreshing as mountain forest air on a crisp autumn morning.  A highlight of this trip was seeing river otters in the wild for the first time.  They were re-introduced into Abrams Creek in 1986 after becoming very rare due to hunting.  They are thriving and a great joy to watch as they frolick in the cold waters.

I will be uploading images over time, so stay tuned to see images from Big Creek, Mouse Creek Falls, Clingmans Dome, Tremont, Cades Cove, Baskins Creek Falls, Abrams Falls, and many more.  

Please feel free to leave comments or use the email link at the bottom of the page to leave questions.


Thanks for visiting!


Jonathan Cothron


  • Light on the Mountain Tops

    Nantahala National Forest, Cowee Mountain Overlook - Jackson County, North Carolina - The last light of the day lights the mountain tops of mountains in Nantahala National Forest along the Blue Ridge Parkway. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • The Mighty Mingo

    Mingo Falls, Qualla Boundary - Swain County, North Carolina. - Mingo Creek flows over the rock face on the side of the mountain at Mingo Falls. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Autumn Pathways

    Sluiceway at Mingus Mill, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Swain County, North Carolina - Autumn colored leaves decorate the trail along the sluiceway at Mingus Mill. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Autumn at Mingus Mill

    Mingus Mill, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Swain County, North Carollina - Autumn foliage surrounds the sluiceway at Mingus Mill. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Autumn's Energy

    Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - Water rushes through autumn decorated rocks on the Middle Prong Little River. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Autumn Energy

    Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - Water rushes through a rock garden along the Middle Prong Little River in the Tremont area. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Bridge Over a River of Gold

    Upper Tremont Road, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier Couny, Tennessee - Golden refections on the Middle Prong Little River on a late autumn afternoon. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • A Pool of Autumn

    Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Georgia - Reflections in the still surface of the Little River on a late autumn afternoon. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Transitions

    Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - Ice clings to the limbs of a bare tree against a backdrop of dwindling autumn colored leaves treeline beyond. ©2022 John Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Warmth of the Morning Sun

    Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - The sun begins peeking over the mountain range and lights a group of trees on the frosty valley floor. ©2022 John Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Frosty Morning in the Valley

    Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - The morning sun highlights the low lying fog in the frost covered valley of Cades Cove. ©2022 John Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Autumn's Grace

    Abrams Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - Abrams Falls pours over a rock face into its plunge pool along Abrams Creek. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Rippled Reflections

    Abrams Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - Abrams Creek creates an impressionistic reflection in the plunge pool below Abrams Falls. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Abrams Falls

    Abrams Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - Abrams Creek plunges into the deep blue pool at Abrams Falls on an autumn morning. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Autumn Morning at Abrams

    Abrams Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - Autumn foliage colors the area around Abrams Falls near Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Late Morning at Abrams

    Abrams Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - Abrams Creek falls into the large plunge pool below Abrams Falls. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Autumn Heights

    Autumn color, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - Hardwood trees bursting with color at lower elevations as viewed from Baskins Creek Trail. ©2022 John Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Decorations of Fall

    Baskins Creek Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Sevier County, Tennessee - Autumn colored leaves decorate the base of Baskins Creek Falls. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Simple Mountain Beauty

    Sunset, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Swain County, North Carolina - The sun sets behind the layers of mountain ridges visible from Clingmans Dome. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Appalachian Sundown

    Sunset, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Swain County, North Carolina - The sun sets over the Appalachian mountains in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron 2022, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Fiery Twilight

    Sunset, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Swain County, North Carolina - Red and orange dominate the sky over the mountains of Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Clingmans Dome. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Paths of Autumn

    Mouse Creek Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Haywood County, North Carolina - Mouse Creek falls into Big Creek through the colorful scattered leaves of autumn. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron 2022, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Autumn on a Smoky Mountain Stream

    Big Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Haywood County, North Carolina - Bright autumn colors along Big Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Autumn at Midnight Hole

    Big Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Haywood County, North Carolina - Leaves swirl in the deep cold waters below the falls at Midnight Hole on Big Creek. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • A Swirl at Midnight

    Big Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Haywood County, North Carolina - Autumn leaves define swirling water at Midnight Hole on Big Creek. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Color on the Foothills

    Fall color, Foothills Parkway - Sevier County, Tennessee - Fall foliage brightens the drive along the Foothills Parkway near Townsend. ©2022 John Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • The Long View

    Mountain vista, Foothills Parkway - Sevier County, Tennessee - Late afternoon vista from the Foothills Parkway viewed across Townsend. The tallest mountain in the distance is Thunderhead Mountain in Great Smoky Mountain National Park and is 10 miles away. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Emerging Day

    Sunrise, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Swain County, North Carolina - ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Land and Sky

    Sunrise, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Swain County, North Carolina - The day awakens behind the ridge at Luftee Gap. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

  • Rays Over Luftee Gap

    Sunrise, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Swain County, North Carolina - The sun rises over Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Luftee Gap. ©2022 Jonathan Cothron, For consideration only, no reproduction without prior permission.

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