GREENSBORO, N.C. — The mornings are getting crisp, and the days are getting shorter. That means it's fall in North Carolina. Some trees have started to change, but most are still green. We're beginning to see some signs that good color is showing up on schedule in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
So where should you go to see good color now? And when will the color be at it's peak? We're here to help you plan.
Where is there color right now?
This report is as of the first week of October, heading into the weekend of October 8-9. At this point in the season, fall color is mainly confined to the highest elevations.
What does that mean? Usually, areas above 4,500 to 5,000 feet are the ones starting to see good color right now. This includes popular places like Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell, and others.
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"Fall Color Guy" Weighs In
Every year, Appalachian State University professor Dr. Howard Neufeld gives status updates on the color progression in the mountains. He had this to say about the state of the season as of October 2.
"Colors have progressed nicely over the last week and with this cool weather and blue, sunny skies, will continue to do so through this next week. While colors along the slopes of Grandfather are not yet at peak, they are colorful and worth viewing," Neufeld said.
The below photo shows color appearing on Rough Ridge Trail just north of Grandfather Mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway as of October 4, 2022.
"By this coming weekend (Oct. 8-9) they should be further along, and it would be worth your while to come up if that is the only weekend you can spare. I think colors will be great from this weekend through to the next weekend (Oct 8-15). Of course, colors will persist beyond the 15th, but as time goes on, they will move downslope. But the next two weekends should be great for fall color viewing in this area," Neufeld said.
When will the leaves be at their peak?
With fall colors we have rules of thumb, and it all depends on elevation. The highest elevations turn first, and then the color runs downhill.
- Early October: Elevations about 4,500 feet in the Blue Ridge and Smokies
- Mid-October: Most of the mountains see high or peak color
- Late October: Most of the Piedmont and Triad seeing high color or peak color
- Early November: Last of the peak color arriving in the Triad and areas south and east
Even though it starts slowly at first, cool nights and sunny afternoons will really help progress the color. There are even some trees in the Triad now starting to show a little color, but we're still a few weeks away from vibrant color here in the Triad area.
Where are the best places in the mountains to get the views?
We're spoiled with so many great places to catch fall color here in North Carolina.
The postcard views you think about often are mostly found along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Boone, and the Great Smoky Mountains south of Asheville. We have linked a detailed guide to both areas in the related stories below.
What about in the Triad?
Closer to home here in the Triad, a variety of natural areas are beautiful this time of year: