Tens of thousands of people visit the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and North Georgia each year to see the beautiful Fall Colors and foliage. The Blue Ridge Mountains offer one of the most colorful and longest running fall color seasons in the world.
One of the many reasons for this is because of the varied elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which show prime fall colors for over a month. Fall colors begin at the highest elevations in early October, and work their way down to the lower elevations until early November.
Updated: 10/17/2024 - Added a fall video we did, fall color updates, and added links to open towns and areas where you can see fall color.
2024 Fall Color Forecast for the Blue Ridge Mountains
One of the most common questions we get asked in our Facebook Group this time of year is: When is the best time to visit to see the fall colors??
Fall color varies year to year, elevation to elevation and even by the direction the mountain side is facing. To complicate matters, the intensity of the color is determined by several very complex factors, including the type of plant, amount of rainfall, and temperatures.
Leaves change color at higher elevations first, and the color change works its way down in elevation.
Here is our current prediction for peak 2024 Fall Foliage for the Blue Ridge Mountains:
September 25 - October 2
At the highest elevations, at and above 6,000 feet, spotty and muted color will appear. The views from these locations will be mostly green because of the areas viewed from here are at lower elevations.
Areas that turn early in this date and elevation range include primarily Graveyard Fields and Rough Ridge, both located off The Blue Ridge Parkway.
Graveyard Fields is consistently one of the first areas in the entire Blue Ridge Mountains range to show fall colors. Graveyard Fields is also incredibly vibrant, because of the type of foliage that grows there. You'll often see lots of vivid reds and oranges during peak.
October 2 - 9
Peak time for areas above 5,000 feet. This would include Clingmans Dome, Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell, Waterrock Knob, Graveyard fields (the first location on the Parkway to turn), and Beech Mountain NC.
Also included are the higher elevations of The Blue Ridge Parkway (between Asheville NC and Cherokee) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
October 9 - 16
Peak time for elevations from 4,000 - 5,000 feet. This would include almost all Blue Ridge Parkway locations and most of the higher elevation areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as well.
Also included is Linn Cove Viaduct, which is gorgeous in the Fall.
October 16 - 23
Peak time for lower elevations, from 3,000 - 4,000 feet. This would include places like: Pisgah National Forest which includes Sliding Rock and Looking Glass Falls, Dill Falls, Wildcat Falls, and many other waterfalls.
Other areas include Linville Gorge, Nantahala Gorge, and Cataloochee Valley. Towns included are: Boone NC, Banner Elk NC, Blowing Rock NC, Maggie Valley NC, Waynesville NC
Also included are the upper elevations of Skyline Drive in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains.
October 23 - 30
Peak time for elevations from 2,000 feet - 3,000 feet. This would include: The cities of Asheville NC, Brevard NC, Bryson City NC, Burnsville NC, Cherokee, Hendersonville NC, and many others.
Places of interest include Dupont State Forest and Biltmore Estate, Russell Brasstown Scenic Byway, and Cades Cove.
October 30 - November 6
Peak time for remaining elevations, including Gatlinburg, TN, Chimney Rock State Park, Lake Lure NC, Helen GA, Ellijay GA, Blue Ridge GA and other remaining lower elevation mountains.
Please remember, these timeframes are estimates based on prior years and current weather and soil conditions. Actual peak times may vary some from this forecast.
More Fall Guides
Here are all of our fall color guides, from scenic drives, to destinations, to waterfalls and more!
Weekly Fall Color Updates for 2024
As of 10/17, many areas in the North Carolina mountains are beginning to re-open and welcome visitors.
Given this, we have decided to resume our weekly fall color updates again to encourage tourism in our small mountain towns that have been so devastated. The financial impact on small locally owned businesses as been tragic, especially during peak season.
So please visit and support the towns that are open!
Fall Color Update for 10/13 - 10/19
Fall Colors are past peak at the highest elevations. Hurricane Helene blew most of these leaves off, anyway. Peak colors are showing for the 3,000 - 4500 foot elevations. Colors are mostly yellow and gold this year, most likely because of the drought we experienced. Colors also seem to be a bit muted this year as well. Again, most likely drought related.
BUT, while thinner, and not as vibrant, it's still gorgeous. We drove through the Great Smoky Mountains National park earlier this week and took both some photos, and did a video.
Here are some photos we took as well:
What makes us an authority on Fall Colors?
Maybe you're wondering what makes us an authority? Well, we live here, and specifically in Waynesville NC. We've been doing this forecast for 10 years, and we're out in the fall colors each year updating our followers and this guide on color status and taking photos. We have a history of over 15 years of photos to know when various areas change colors.
As Fall 2024 approaches, we'll be out and about taking photos and reporting on current conditions and updating you in real time. If the color season changes, we'll update our forecast and let you know.
We also stay in touch with regional experts to get the latest information on current conditions and fall predictions.
You'll find our dates and photos to be some of the most accurate available, and we always provide frequent updates WITH photos.
Fall Videos
Here are some of our latest Fall videos from our YouTube channel:
2024 Fall Elk Rut Season
One highlight of Fall for us is Elk Rut Season, where Bulls put on a show, and often battle with other bulls over female Elk and territory. The "show" includes bugling, sparring with other elk, and herding their "harems" or groups of cows.
Elk Rut Season begins in mid-September and ends in mid to late October. See our Elk Guide for all the details, including photos and videos!
2024 Fall Foliage Maps
The following maps will help you determine the best Fall Foliage times for various areas in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Western North Carolina Fall Foliage Map 2024
The following Fall Color Map is for Western North Carolina, and provided by the Biology Department at Appalachian State University:
Virginia 2024 Fall Foliage Map
The following Virginia Fall Foliage Map is from Virginia Department of Forestry:
Virginia Peak Periods:
- October 10 - 20 (Left Side of Map)
- October 15 - 25 (Center of Map)
- October 20-31 (Right Side of Map)
Tips for 2024 Fall Foliage Viewing and Photography:
- Book reservations early. Hotels, Motels and Bed & Breakfasts will be filling up fast.
- Be patient. There are lots of people here during the fall, and having a little patience will go a long way to making your visit far more enjoyable.
- Bring your digital camera. You never know when the perfect photo opportunity will present itself, be prepared.
- Be prepared for weather changes. Weather in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains changes quickly, so don't be upset if you can't get any photos because of the fog or rain. Just hang out for a bit and be patient. Chances are it will blow by and the sun may even come out. We've found that some of our best photos are just after a storm. Oh, and if you're coming in late October/Early November, you might just get some snow too!
- Stay on the roads. We see lots of people stuck trying to venture down some narrow mountain road, or trying to drive through grass they think is dry in order to get that "unique" photo. Unless you have 4-wheel drive, stay on paved or well-maintained roads.
- Polarized sun glasses and a polarizing filter for your camera enhance fall colors and reduce glare.
- Travel on the Parkway. If you are traveling the parkway, read over our Parkway Travel Tips.
- Wear layers of clothing or bring a few extra jackets or sweaters. Temperatures here in the Blue Ridge can vary base on weather and altitude. Try to avoid cotton for under-layers and use "stay-dry" products with little to no cotton.
- Mornings and evenings are the best times for photos. Mid day sunlight is often too harsh. The benefit of getting out early or very late is that you'll avoid most of the crowd too and get great photos too!
- Avoid thick clouds and fog in your photos. If the sky is very cloudy and/or foggy, try to keep the fog and clouds out of your photos. The white of the clouds and fog is overwhelming, and will just make your photo look smaller. As an example, see the waterfall photo below. Graveyard fields was completely clouded over that day, so when I framed the picture, I kept the sky out as much as possible.
- Make sure you have plenty of gas. Some areas, especially on the parkway and in the national parks, are a long way from the nearest gas station.
Fall Color Graveyard Fields
Things to do in the Blue Ridge during the Fall
- Visit Apple Orchards - The Blue Ridge Mountains are famous for some of the best tasting apples you can find anywhere. Apple Orchards in the Blue Ridge make for a fun family adventure, especially in the fall. You can ride hayrides, play games, pick your own apples, enjoy hot and fresh baked apple products, hot cider, and more! See our Guides to find the Best Apple Orchards: Best Apple Orchards in Western North Carolina.
- Go Hiking! Check out our Blue Ridge family favorite hiking trails, and our favorite trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are tons of other trails too.
- Visit some Waterfalls - Waterfalls and fall colors make a great combination. Here's our list of our favorite Waterfalls.
- See the Elk - Be sure and visit Cataloochee Valley, which is not only beautiful in the Fall, but full of Elk as well.
- Visit Maggie Valley NC - Next to both the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park - It's the perfect mountain small town in Western NC.
- Visit Asheville NC, Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg TN - These towns all have tons to do and are right in the middle of all the fall color. We highly recommend visiting many of the small towns in the Blue Ridge Mountains as well.
- 25 Best Places to see Fall Colors! - See our guide to the very best places to see gorgeous Fall Colors.
Fall Colors Photo Gallery
Just a few of our favorite Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountain Fall photos we've taken over the years.
