A FREE Daily Visitor Guide for the North Carolina Mountains and 50+ NC Mountain Cities: NC Fall Color Leaf Report for the Week of 10/7/13

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

NC Fall Color Leaf Report for the Week of 10/7/13

The Week of October 7, 2013:
The High Country:Color is increasing, but still not close to peak. It’s about 40% colored up with 60% to go. At higher elevations, like at Tynecastle on Rt. 105, and on the upper slopes of Grandfather Mt., it is more like 60-75% colored. This coming week will be good for leaf looking, but next weekend will be one you should not miss, and I think the same can be said for the weekend after that. The rains on Sunday night did not do too much damage, with most of the leaves still on the trees and favorable weather forecast for the upcoming list......see photos and read more from local expert Howie Neufeld, Ph.D. Professor of Plant Physiology Appalachian State University

Asheville and the Mid-elevations: Still mostly green with small patches of color starting to appear. Dogwoods, sourwoods and Virginia creeper are all beautiful red. There is some color in some maples and yellow in other trees like birch and tulip poplar.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park:No reports because of Federal Shut-downs.

Western Mountains in Nantahala and the Smokies: Still mostly green with some colors appearing in Highlands and Sylva.

Where to find color this week: Along the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mount Mitchell, Craggy Pinnacle, Black Balsam Knob and the highest elevations. Grandfather Mountain along the ridgeline. Elk Knob State Park in Todd. The higher-elevation corridor around Winding-Stair Gap near Franklin. Beech Mountain.

Keep updated about the fall color in the mountains on the NC Mountain News.

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The Blue Ridge Parkway at 469 miles long is the nation's longest scenic rural parkway. Now 70 years old it is administered by the National Park Service and host to approximately 20 million visits annually. It connects the Shenandoah Valley National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. Along the route are opportunities for lodging, dining, camping, hiking and simply enjoying breathtaking views from easily accessible overlooks and picnic areas. For additional information visit :The Blueridge Parkway Association

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The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Since 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program has provided funding for almost 1500 state and nationally designated byway projects in 48 states. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities.

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