Archive for the ‘Fall colors’ Category

Asheville Guide Forecasts Fall Foliage Timeline

Sunday, September 18th, 2011
For the many travelers trying to plan the perfect fall mountain getaway in North Carolina, the number one question is “When is peak fall color?” To help with vacation planning, RomanticAsheville.com Travel Guide has released its annual week-by-week color forecast for the mountains surrounding Asheville, working with experts from Biltmore, Chimney Rock and the North Carolina Arboretum.

In short, better color is expected this year than last. “Last year, the extreme summer heat took a toll on the trees and the color was not as vibrant as in previous years,” says Mark File, editor. “This year, we have been cooler, so the trees are still very healthy.”

Parker Andes, Director of Horticulture for Biltmore, agrees, “The maples, gum trees and sourwoods still have good strong leaves, with few diseases. We can expect those trees to shine, with the sourwoods, leading the color in early October and maples and gums providing color later in the month. Red oaks also look healthy, and they tend to show their best color at the end of the month.”

Strong color should last for approximately four weeks. According to Matt Popowski from Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park, “Our Blue Ridge Mountain range features one of most colorful and longest leaf color displays in the U.S., attracting visitors from around the world. Typically starting in early October, the peak leaf season explodes with a variety of colors at over 6,000 feet elevation, spreading down the mountain and reaching a grand finale in Lake Lure and Chimney Rock.“

Here is the fall color timeline forecast for Asheville and the surrounding mountains:

Early October: The color show begins at the highest elevations such as Mount Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain, with best color in elevations above 4,000 feet, such as Mount Pisgah and much of the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville.

Mid October: Find the most color above 3,000 feet elevation, which includes much of the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests, along with the Linville Gorge.

Late October: Color is best in the city of Asheville, including the Biltmore Estate and the North Carolina Arboretum.

Early November: Best color is in lowest elevations and the foothills, including Chimney Rock.

To see the top 10 places to enjoy the fall color show according to the readers of RomanticAsheville.com Travel Guide, please click here. For more travel details and the latest fall foliage week-by-week forecast you can click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Asheville, Fall colors, North Carolina, autumn travel, forecast | Comments Off

Regional Fall Color Round-up

Saturday, October 16th, 2010
The following are the latest fall color updates for the various park areas in the Great Smoky Mountains region:

* Tom Harrington's latest update on the GSMA website states that fall colors are now at their peak in the upper elevations of the Great Smokies (above 3,000 feet), and will remain at peak for the next couple of days. He also expects autumn colors for the lower elevations to be at or near peak by next week.

* Virtual Blue Ridge posted this report late Thursday:

In Virginia the Peaks of Otter is reporting color in Tulip Poplar, Dogwood, and Sourwood on the mountainside. A variety of Oaks and Mountain Ash are also showing fall colors. The Rocky Knob and Mabry Mill area are probably at peak color this coming weekend. Dogwood and Poplar are also pretty, along with Sassafras along the roadsides in the area of the Blue Ridge Music Center. This weekend will probably be the peak of color there.

High up on the sides of Mount Mitchell north of Asheville, visitors will also see some color showing nicely. The area south of Asheville is one of the highlights now with Graveyard Fields turning peak after a cold night in recent days. This is by far the best place to see good color along the southern end of the Parkway. A few of the higher elevations around Devil's Courthouse, Richland Balsam and more are about 50% right now while the rest of the Parkway south of there is about 30%-40% color. Still a nice drive with enough color to show that fall is finally here.

You can read the full report by clicking here.

* Tennessee State Parks has a new “color watch” tool on their website to help visitors plan for the best leaf peeping opportunities. For nearby Roan Mountain, ETSU professors are projecting a magnificent season of color throughout October. The website also highlights state park events, including fall hikes at South Cumberland, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and along the Cumberland Trail.

* Grandfather Mountain State Park in NC is reporting that fall colors are at their peak right now.

* And finally, earlier this week, the National Park Foundation announced its 2010 ‘Top National Parks for Fall Foliage’ list. Included on the list was the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area where peak fall colors are expected through Thanksgiving.



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Fall colors, Tennessee State Parks, autumn, color watch | Comments Off

Fall colors in Smokies to arrive a little late this year

Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
Steve Kemp from the Great Smoky Mountains Association has posted his latest fall leaf color report on the GSMA website.

Mr. Kemp is reporting that fall colors will likely be peaking a little later than average this year.

His report states that fall colors will be at their peak in 2-3 weeks in many areas of the Smoky Mountain high country (above 4,500'). He also stated that peak colors at the lower elevations are likely to be a month away.

You can view his entire report by clicking here.

For additional suggestions on some of the best hikes for viewing fall colors in the Smokies, please click here.

On a related note, TripAdvisor recently published their list of the top ten fall foliage destinations in the U.S. Not surprisingly, Asheville ranked number 1, while Galinburg came in at number 3.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Fall colors, great smoky mountains association | Comments Off

Autumn postcard from the Great Smoky Mountains

Monday, November 2nd, 2009
In case you couldn’t make it to the Smokies this fall, you can still check out this excellent video from the Great Smoky Mountains Association. It's called An Autumn Postcard from the Smokies:







Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

Posted in Fall colors, Great Smoky Mountains, autumn, fall leaf color, postcard | Comments Off

Fall colors peaking at highest elevations in Smokies

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
Steve Kemp of the Great Smoky Mountains Association is reporting that fall colors at the highest elevations in Great Smoky Mountains are peaking right now. He goes on to report that peak colors at the higher elevations are predicted to last through October 23.

He also reports that fall colors are still spotty at the lower and mid elevations, but very vibrant in some places. The peak for fall color below elevations of 4000 feet is expected to occur from October 26 through November 6.

Tom Harrington is reporting that some scattered foliage is beginning to show on the way to Laurel Falls, and beyond that, up to Cove Mountain, there is some really brilliant red foliage.

You can read their updated reports over at the GSMA website.

Also, if you want to check out what the fall foliage looks like in a variety of spots across the Mid and Southern Appalachians, check out the comprehensive list of live web cams on the Blue Ridge Country Magazine website.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

Posted in Fall colors, Smokies, highest elevations, peaking | Comments Off