Leaves will soon change in NC’s foothills and mountains. How to see the best fall color

The recent respite from summer’s heat and humidity has put some of you in an autumnal mood, pondering pumpkins, cool mornings and long sleeves.

As Recreation.gov proclaimed with a flurry of press releases on Thursday, “It’s almost fall, y’all.”

Fall color forecasters are in an apple-cider state of mind, too. They’ve begun offering predictions on how good a leaf-peeping season North Carolina will have this year and when the colors will peak at different elevations.

The timing and intensity of autumn color depend on temperature, rainfall and food supply from spring through fall, according to the U.S. Forest Service , as well as other factors such as tree genetics.

Weather events in August and September also can affect October displays. But here is some early advice, in time to make travel plans to catch the richest shades of red, orange and yellow.

Will North Carolina have good fall color this year?

According to the Forest Service and N.C. State University’s College of Natural Resource, the most brilliant autumn colors follow a warm, wet spring, a moderate summer and warm, sunny fall days with cool (but not freezing) nights . If it’s too dry during the growing season, the leaves may turn early. If fall is too warm, the colors may be dimmed.

Spring was a mixed bag in North Carolina. Assistant State Climatologist Corey Davis writes that:

▪ March brought record rainfall to some parts of the state, but overall April was hotter and drier than average;

▪ May was both warm and wet;

▪ Then came a record-dry June with warmer-than-average temperatures, kicking off a drought that quickly spread across the state;

▪ Just as fast, heavy rains made for the 11th-wettest July on record for the state, but it was also the 9th hottest.

As of Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor’s map showed no drought in North Carolina, though some western counties are abnormally dry.

The next month likely will bring at least a couple more spells of hot weather, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service and the Farmers Almanac .

While conditions have not lined up for the perfect season of intense, long-lasting jewel tones, color should be good enough to justify a ride through the country sometime in mid-to-late October.

Dr. Howard Nuefeld , the Appalachian State University professor known as The Fall Color Guy, has said current forecasts bode well for a good fall color season.

“What we want to see is temperatures beginning to drop in mid-September through mid-October. If they do, fall colors will be on time. If it is mostly sunny with little rain over this interval, it is likely that the colors will be more vibrant.”

When will fall color peak in North Carolina?

The first bits of color typically appear at the highest elevations in the western part of the state the last week of September or the first week of October . From there, the shift moves down the mountains to the foothills, the Piedmont and across the coastal plain over the following one to three weeks.

In an average year, the color in the mountains peaks the second or third week of October. By mid-November, the show is pretty much over.

The mountains are used as the standard for several reasons: they are covered in a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees, so there is a variety of color; there are wide swaths of wilderness area and undeveloped, forested land; and driving to higher elevations along routes such as the Blue Ridge Parkway offers sweeping views of nature’s colorful display.

Where are the best places to see fall color in North Carolina?

An article this month in Southern Living listing “The Best Places To See Fall Color In Every Southern State” suggests leaf-peepers visit:

▪ Asheville;

▪ Panthertown Valley in Jackson County,

▪ Whiteside Mountain, between Highlands and Cashiers;

▪ Anywhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway , which follows the ridge tops from Cherokee, N.C. to Waynesboro, Va.

At higher elevations, the U.S. Forest Service likes :

▪ Cherohala Skyway in Graham County;

▪ Wayah Bald and Wine Spring Creek area in Macon County;

▪ Big Butt trail in the Mount Mitchell area of Yancey County;

▪ Roan Mountain in Mitchell County.

At mid-elevations, the Forest Service likes :

▪ The Chunky Gal Mountains from Standing Indian to Shooting Creek along US 64 in Macon and Clay Counties; a

▪ N.C. 28 and N.C. 143 in Graham County from Fontana Village to Stecoah Gap;

▪ The Moses Creek drainage along Forest Service Road 4651 in the Roy Taylor Forest in Jackson County;

▪ U.S. 19E in the Poplar area of Yancey County from the Cane River to Spivey Gap;

▪ Curtis Creek Road (Forest Service Road 482) and U.S. 70 in McDowell County, and the Harper Creek area in Avery County.

If you’re not able to travel this year, you can still track the progression of the fall colors in western North Carolina through webcams at Cold Mountain in Shining Rock Wilderness and Newfound Gap or Look Rock in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.