NC Fall Foliage 2020 and Fall Colors Are Here

NC fall foliage 2020 season is here with fall colors starting to appear. There is some color starting to show in the dogwood, sourwood, maple, sassafras and birch trees.  Typically the start of the fall foliage color change in Western NC will start to take place the last week of September in the highest elevations – those mountain areas north of Asheville and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Any time now color will begin in the elevations above 5,000 ft such as Clingmans Dome, Mt. LeConte, Cataloochee, and Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains. Grandfather Mountain and the Boone area will start to show color in the highest elevations as well as Mount Mitchell, Craggy Gardens, and Rough Ridge along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

NC Fall Foliage 2020 and Fall Colors
NC Fall Foliage 2020 and Fall Colors

Fall foliage is already starting to make an appearance along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Peak and near peak in the highest mountain elevations (over 5000 ft) is taking place now at Graveyard Fields and Rough Ridge. By this weekend the two areas should be at peak color. Local reports are there is a lot of color and the color is much better than normal. These two areas are always the first places that color starts to appear on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Even in the lower elevations color is making appearances in the sourwood, dogwood, maple, sassafras and birch trees. But most other trees are still mostly green. 

Weather Forecast Perfect for Vivid Colors

Warm sunny days in the 70’s and cool nights in the 40’s are both in the forecast. Perfect weather for a colorful fall foliage outcome. This year’s fall foliage season is running right on time. Areas that typically show color next in North Carolina are Mount Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain, Waterrock Knob, Black Balsam and Roan Mountain.  The mid-elevations are predicted to peak in the middle of October. Peak colors are predicted in mid-October for the area of Boone and Blowing Rock.

Follow Travel NC fall foliage reports and updates 2020. Know where to go and when to go to see those peak colors in the beautiful state of North Carolina. A trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway to view North Carolina fall colors is a must during the month of October! This year’s fall foliage season is supposed to be way better than in recent years. Lots of color has already begun to be reported in the highest elevations of the NC mountains!

NC Fall Foliage 2020 and Fall Colors