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 addition, see the top places to see fall color, selected by the readers of RomanticAsheville.com.
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:
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.
According to the readers of RomanticAsheville.com Travel Guide, these are Top 10 places to enjoy the fall color show:
1. The Blue Ridge Parkway is easily the top pick, since it?s one of the country?s top scenic drives! Drive 170 miles of it in the Asheville area. Stop at many overlooks, picnic and explore hiking trails.
2. Hiking trails abound for all fitness levels, with many of them on the Parkway or in Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests.
3. A waterfall framed by the fall colors is a photographer?s dream. One of the most photographed waterfalls in the country is Linville Falls. And don?t miss DuPont State Forest and Looking Glass Falls.
4. There is plenty of the great outdoors to explore at the 8,000-acre Biltmore Estate, by foot, by bike by horse or by Segway. According to Andes, ?If the weather patterns continue and we do not get an early frost and we get good rain, peak color at Biltmore should be about the third week of October.?
5. For an exciting view of the colorful tree canopy, zoom down zip line canopy tours in the Great Smoky Mountains, Nantahala Gorge and the newest course located near downtown Asheville.
6. Since Mt. Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Rockies, it boasts the first colors of the season. Enjoy panoramic views from the observation deck. Take a jacket, since it?s always cooler there. It?s not unusual to get snow atop Mt. Mitchell by the end of October.
7. The Graveyard Fields area often has the most brilliant colors in the area. Enjoy roadside views or hike through highland valley with two waterfalls is surrounded by 6,000-foot peaks.
8. Drive the Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway (US 276) from Brevard to the Blue Ridge Parkway, with great stops such as Looking Glass Falls, a challenging hike to Looking Glass Rock and learn more about forestry at the Forest Discovery Center.
9. Stroll through the gardens and forest trails at the North Carolina Arboretum, attend the Chrysanthemum Show, and see the tiniest color show on Bonsai trees. Clara Curtis with the Arboretum reports, "This year, early fall color is already showing on native trees like dogwood, sourwood and black gum. Fall color is evident when night time temperatures begin to cool, triggering leaf color changes. Garden shrubs contribute fall color, too, in combination with grasses and perennials."
10. Watch many elk graze a short distance away in the beautiful Cataloochee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Each fall, male elk make their legendary bugling calls.
For more details on these and the latest fall foliage week-by-week forecast, go to http://www.romanticasheville.com/fall.htm or http://www.facebook.com/romanticasheville.
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