Illustration

State guide

When to catch North Carolinathrough the year

The peaks we can name in North Carolina each belong to a place, not the whole state. Spring wildflowers at Blue Ridge Parkway: late April to early May; Catawba rhododendron at Craggy Gardens: early to mid-June.

When are you going?

Fall in North Carolina

SEASON · FALL FOLIAGEPee Dee RefugeSeptember to NovemberNorth Carolina
“September to November” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
SEASON · FALL FOLIAGEBlue Ridge ParkwayOctober, highest elevations firstNorth Carolina
“October, highest elevations first” · National Park Service ↗

More fall foliage:Pisgah National Forest Nantahala National Forest

Also good in fall

Blue Ridge ParkwayWildflowers
Mattamuskeet RefugeMost migratory waterfowl are gone, April to October
Pee Dee RefugeDucks and geese start arriving from the north
Pocosin Lakes RefugeBoating on New Lake

From each place's own sources; no peak claimed.

Next peak here after fall

USUAL PEAK · WILDFLOWERSBlue Ridge ParkwayEarly spring (late April to early May)North Carolina

“early spring (late April to early May)” · National Park Service ↗

Remind me →

Places in North Carolina

Pick a part of the state; the map follows

Spring
Fall
Winter

Places on this map, as a list

Map: approximate positions; state lines US Census.

Blue Ridge Mountains

Coastal Plain

Piedmont

Pee Dee RefugeSpring migration · March, April, and MayWildflowers · March to MayFall foliage · September to NovemberWinter wildlife · December through February

Planning a North Carolina trip

Everything here from each place's own sources

Park guides

Blue Ridge Parkway →Spring wildflowers: best viewing late April to early May · Catawba rhododendron at Craggy Gardens: usual peak early to mid-June

Towns to stay in

Charlotte, NCPee Dee Refuge · 43 mi
Raleigh, NCPee Dee Refuge · 98 mi
Greensboro, NCPee Dee Refuge · 73 mi
Fayetteville, NCPee Dee Refuge · 63 mi
Wilmington, NCPocosin Lakes Refuge · 129 mi
Asheville, NCBlue Ridge Parkway · 13 mi
Rocky Mount, NCPocosin Lakes Refuge · 73 mi
Mooresville, NCPee Dee Refuge · 55 mi
Hickory, NCBlue Ridge Parkway · 59 mi
New Bern, NCPocosin Lakes Refuge · 52 mi
Asheboro, NCPee Dee Refuge · 48 mi

Nearest place we follow, straight-line miles.

Fees, passes and reservations

Blue Ridge Parkway: fees ↗

Browse by season and event

Wildflowers · 4 places hereWildflowers, everywhere →
Fall foliage · 4 places hereFall foliage in North Carolina →Fall foliage, everywhere →
Winter wildlife · 3 places hereWinter wildlife, everywhere →
Spring migration · 1 place hereSpring migration, everywhere →

Questions people ask

When is the best time for wildflowers at Blue Ridge Parkway?

Late April to early May, as the trees begin to leaf out and the forest floor fills with trillium, trout lily, spring beauty and more. Something blooms from late March through October.Source: National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway Wildflowers ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Does it bloom earlier in Virginia or North Carolina at Blue Ridge Parkway?

Usually earlier in Virginia and at lower elevations. Cooler temperatures up high can push bloom back by several weeks.Sources: National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway Wildflowers ↗ (opens in a new tab), National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway Showy Blooms ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Which parts turn first at Blue Ridge Parkway?

The highest peaks, early in October; the color then moves down the mountainsides into the lower elevations as the month goes on.Source: National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway fall colors ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Is there an entrance fee, and is the road open at Blue Ridge Parkway?

There's no entrance fee. The Parkway is open year-round, but sections can close for weather or maintenance.Source: National Park Service, Blue Ridge Parkway FAQ ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Can I see the birds from a boat in winter at Mattamuskeet Refuge?

No: all boating is prohibited from November 1 to February 28, except for permitted waterfowl hunters. In winter, watch from shore, the trails, the Wildlife Drive and the observation deck on the Highway 94 causeway.Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mattamuskeet NWR: Rules and Policies ↗ (opens in a new tab), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mattamuskeet NWR: Birding ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Where else is viewing good without walking far at Mattamuskeet Refuge?

Along the Highway 94 causeway across Lake Mattamuskeet, which has an observation viewing deck, and along the refuge entrance road and Wildlife Drive. Swans, snow geese, northern pintail and bald eagles are often seen.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mattamuskeet NWR: Birding ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Plan a North Carolina trip for your dates →Alerts for North Carolina

Nearby state guides: South Carolina · Virginia · West Virginia · Kentucky

North Carolina in pictures

Illustrative photos, not current conditions

The parkway winding through mountainsides of red, orange and yellow trees — Blue Ridge Parkway fall foliage, seen from Waterrock Knob. Photo: Tanya Schoenhoff / USGS · public domain

A flock of white swans flying low over water, photographed from above — Tundra swans in flight, seen from the air at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge (date not given). Photo: USFWS · public domain · resized

A woman in a sun hat crouches in tall grass and ferns, looking closely at a plant — A member of the Bog Learning Network looks closely at a wetland plant during a visit to bogs on Nantahala National Forest, June 9, 2015. Photo: Gary Peeples/USFWS · public domain · resized

How we know

Every timing on this page, from these pages; checked Sep 30

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 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 28Park ServiceThe refuge's 2024 plan: wintering waterfowl peak November through February; most migratory waterfowl absent April to OctoberSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mattamuskeet NWR: Final Environmental Assessment, Cyanobacteria Treatment in Lake Mattamuskeet (March 2024) in a new tab)
Sep 28Park ServiceLake Mattamuskeet, North Carolina's largest natural lake; ducks, geese and swans from November through FebruarySource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mattamuskeet NWR: About Us 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)
National Park Service sources: no claim to original U.S. Government works.

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 30SightingsVolunteer observations of deciduous trees and shrubs: share with half or more of their leaves colored, per stateSource (opens USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations in a new tab)
Sep 28ReferenceFall September–November with red maple and sweetgum color; winter waterfowl, spring, summerSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pee Dee NWR seasons of wildlife 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 29Park ServiceAndy Cove Nature Trail: a 0.7-mile loop from the ranger station, with rhododendron in July and fall colors in OctoberSource (opens US Forest Service, Pisgah Ranger District trails guide (10/2011) in a new tab)
Sep 28Park ServicePungo Unit waterfowl season, November–February, and the winter closure of its fields and moist-soil unitsSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pocosin Lakes NWR: Birding in a new tab)