North Carolina leaf peeping is great and here’s why. North Carolina is a great place to visit during the fall. The Blue Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina have a wide range of elevations that peak times can easily be travels to within a couple of hours of driving time. Elevations range from 876 feet to 6,643 feet. So somewhere there is near peak or at peak color in October.
The northwest North Carolina mountains include Mt. Mitchell with an elevation 6,684 feet. Mt. Mitchell is reported to be past peak already. Peaking this week will be areas north of Asheville. A great place to take a drive would be on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Linnville toward Blowing Rock, Boone and into Ashe County.
Peak colors for Asheville and the southern NC mountains (south and west of Asheville that include Cashiers, Dillsboro, Sylva, and Sapphire) have some color but peak is not expected for another 2 weeks.
Check back often for more updates about the North Carolina mountains fall foliage color reports
Here is a link to some NC webcams that show some nice views of the mountains.