North Carolinafall foliage
No reports yet this season. Next up: Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, typically Oct 1–31.
When is peak fall foliage in North Carolina's mountains?
Mostly in October, moving downhill as the month goes on. On the Blue Ridge Parkway, the National Park Service says scattered trees at the highest elevations can start in late September, but most trees change during October, beginning early in the month on the highest peaks and working down the mountainsides to the lower elevations.
Checked Sep 27. Source: National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway fall colors ↗ (opens in a new tab)
This week in North Carolina · Updated Sep 28
We haven't logged an official report for North Carolina yet this fall; the first places here usually turn around Oct 1. The forecast looks best on today through Fri, and no frost in sight: the coldest night is 50°F at Blue Ridge Parkway. In the Southern Appalachians' volunteer tree counts for Sep 15–21, every species with enough observations is close to a typical year.
When each place peaks, and the week ahead
Best days to go: Today–Fri
No strong wind in the forecast. No frost yet: the coldest night is 50°F at Blue Ridge Parkway.
- Blue Ridge ParkwayUsually Oct 1–31Todaydry and calmTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatrain likelySunrain likely
- Nantahala National ForestStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 18Todaydry and calmTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatrain likelySunrain likely
- Pisgah National ForestStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 18Todaydry and calmTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatrain likelySunrain likely
All the numbers
| Place | Usual peak | This week | Rain likely | Coldest night | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Parkway | Oct 1–31 | No report | Sat, Sun | 50°F | 5,853 ft |
| Nantahala National Forest | Statewide: well under way by ~Oct 18 | No report | Sat, Sun | 50°F | 2,452 ft |
| Pisgah National Forest | Statewide: well under way by ~Oct 18 | No report | Sat, Sun | 53°F | 2,106 ft |
Solid bars: each place's usual window from its official sources; dashed: a regional or statewide timing, not the place's own. Stages from the latest official report. Weather: National Weather Service forecast for each place, issued Sep 28. A best day is dry and calm at most of these places.
Southern Appalachians, site by site
Color moving across the Southern Appalachians
88 volunteer sites this week (seen in at least 2 of the falls 2020–2025)
- Green
- Yellow
- Orange
- Red
- Brown, leaves down
Typical year, not a prediction. Each dot is a real USA-NPN volunteer site: the middle stage its trees had that week across the falls 2020–2025. Green: under 5% of leaves colored · yellow 5–24% · orange 25–49% · red half or more · brown: leaves mostly down. Sites within a few hundred yards of each other (a research forest, a park) share one dot, with their number on it. Data: USA National Phenology Network (CC BY 4.0).
Southern Appalachians, Sep 15–21
Tuliptree
5% this week (66 observations) · typical 6%
0% this week (46 observations) · typical 1%
Willow oak
0% this week (42 observations) · typical 1%
3% this week (35 observations) · typical 1%
Every species with enough observations is close to a typical year. Only species with at least 15 observations that week; the line marks the typical share for the same week (2020–2025). Updated Sep 27. Data: USA-NPN. Which trees turn when in the Southern Appalachians →
Planning a North Carolina fall foliage trip
The Blue Ridge Parkway is nearly 470 miles long and drops more than 5,000 feet from its highest peaks to the foothills, so somewhere along it the color is usually good. The Forest Service points to the Parkway, Craggy Gardens and Linville Gorge for fiery sugar maples, red maples and hickories.
What makes a strong year, per the Park Service: bright, sunny, cool days, nights that stay cool but above freezing, and enough rain, which also keeps leaves on the trees longer. Wet, cloudy, warm weather or an early hard cold tends to mute it. The week-ahead chart on this page watches the same things.
In the Pisgah National Forest, the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway loops 79 miles through the Pisgah Ranger District, and Looking Glass Falls is one of the most photographed waterfalls in the East. In the Nantahala, Cullasaja Gorge covers 7.5 miles of US 64 between Franklin and Highlands, past 75-foot Dry Falls.
Sources (5)
- National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway fall colors ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Fall Colors ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Forest Heritage Scenic Byway ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Looking Glass Falls ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Cullasaja Gorge ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Official reports
- Sep 27Park ServiceBlooming late March through October; best time late April-early May; earlier in Virginia and at low elevationsSource (opens National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway Wildflowers in a new tab)
- Sep 27Park ServiceMost wildflowers mid-March to early May; 2-mile figure-eight loop; fee siteSource (opens US Forest Service, Celebrating Wildflowers: Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest Loop Trail in a new tab)
- Sep 27Park ServiceSteep 1-mile cove-forest trail; best early to mid AprilSource (opens US Forest Service, Celebrating Wildflowers: Whitewater Falls in a new tab)
Show all 15
- Sep 27Park ServiceLower half mile through a cove of spring wildflowers; best mid-April to early MaySource (opens US Forest Service, Celebrating Wildflowers: Appletree Trail in a new tab)
- Sep 27Park ServiceHigh-elevation cove, many herbs on calcium-rich soils; best late April to mid-MaySource (opens US Forest Service, Celebrating Wildflowers: Wasilik Poplar Trail in a new tab)
- Sep 27Park ServiceGentle 1-mile loop to a small waterfall; best mid to late AprilSource (opens US Forest Service, Celebrating Wildflowers: Rufus Morgan Trail in a new tab)
- Sep 27Park ServiceCove wildflowers late March to late April; trails July through SeptemberSource (opens US Forest Service, Celebrating Wildflowers: Paint Fork Road, Jacks Branch and River Ridge Loop trails in a new tab)
- Sep 27Park ServiceEasy 0.7-mile trail to a waterfall; best mid-April to mid-MaySource (opens US Forest Service, Celebrating Wildflowers: Moore Cove Falls in a new tab)
- Sep 27Park ServiceHigh meadows at 5,400-5,800 ft; best mid-June to late SeptemberSource (opens US Forest Service, Celebrating Wildflowers: Flat Laurel Creek Trail in a new tab)
- Sep 26Park ServiceMost trees change color in October, starting early in the month on the highest peaks and moving downSource (opens National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway fall colors in a new tab)
- Sep 26Park ServiceFall color mid to late October; flame azalea in May; Catawba rhododendron in June; no entrance fee; open year-round, sections may closeSource (opens National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway FAQ in a new tab)
- Sep 26Park ServiceCraggy Gardens (MP 364) for wildflowers, fall leaves and views; the Linn Cove ViaductSource (opens National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway popular destinations in a new tab)
- Sep 26Park ServiceMost visitor centers open May through OctoberSource (opens National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway visitor centers in a new tab)
- Sep 26Park ServiceAt 5,820 ft, the highest visitor center on the ParkwaySource (opens National Park Service, Waterrock Knob in a new tab)
- Sep 26Park ServiceSix trails at Peaks of Otter (MP 85.6)Source (opens National Park Service, Peaks of Otter in a new tab)
Questions people ask
When is peak fall foliage in North Carolina in 2026?
In a typical year Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina peaks Oct 1–31. Each place page has its own dates.
Where can I see fall foliage in North Carolina?
We track 3 places: Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina (usually Oct 1–31), Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina and Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina.
Why does color come earlier in some places?
Higher ground turns first. In the Great Smoky Mountains, color can start as early as mid-September at the highest elevations, develops above 4,000 feet from early to mid-October, and reaches the lower and middle slopes between mid-October and early November.Source: National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains fall color ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How do you track fall foliage?
Each place moves through 6 stages: Still green, First color, Moderate, High color, Peak and Past peak. Every stage we show comes from a dated report with its source, and every forecast lists its sources.