Post date: 10/11/2022
This weekend I attended the wedding of my sister’s daughter at the Linganore Winecellars outside of Frederick, MD. Although it was rainy and the ceremony had to be held inside, the hall they had was beautifully crafted with wood paneling and wood beams, and it felt very warm and cozy inside. We all had a great time.Because of that trip, I didn’t get to go out and scout around for fall colors until this morning. But what a morning it was – cool, in the low 40s, maybe even in the 30s, with clear blue skies and low humidity. There was valley fog, but Grandfather Mountain and the Blue Ridge...
Post date: 10/11/2022
Today I went on a fall color excursion to Craggy Gardens and Mt. Mitchell accompanied by two of my students, Hannah Lilly, and Leigha Henson. Trees are coloring up nicely above 4,500’, although green is still dominant. However, there are individual trees in full color, adjacent to others that are just starting, which themselves are adjacent to yet others that are mostly green. In another week, if the weather remains cool, colors should be fine at these high elevations. We had an exciting encounter with a bald eagle just before we got to Linville Falls – it was feeding on some animal in...
Post date: 09/19/2022
One thing you can never do when forecasting anything is to become complacent. If you do, you will miss things. Today, I hiked up to the summit of Elk Knob State Park, just north of Boone, and I’m glad I did, because otherwise, I would have missed the beginnings of fall colors here in the High Country! The peak at Elk Knob is 5,520’ and offers panoramic views of the mountains in Watauga and surrounding counties as well as into southwestern Virginia. I highly recommend this hike, which is 2 miles to the top, and because there are switchbacks, the grade is fairly shallow and it is not that...
Post date: 09/13/2022
Greetings from the High Country! The students up here are all in “high” spirits after watching the Appalachian State University football team defeat the #6th ranked program in the country yesterday, Texas A&M University. Students piled out of their apartments and dorms and congregated on King Street in the middle of town (which is also US 421!) to celebrate. This was our second win over a top 10 team: last time was when we beat Michigan 34-32 in what Sports Illustrated said was the greatest upset of all time in college football history. Although I have problems with the business side of...
Post date: 09/02/2022
Welcome back Fall Color Enthusiasts! This begins my 15th year following the fall color season in the mountains of western North Carolina, and it’s been a great experience watching the trees turn each year and interacting with all of you. I hope my reports have helped you over the years to plan great trips to the mountains to see the beauty of the High Country and that this year will be no different. So, what do we expect for this upcoming fall color season? Believe it or not, it is still too early to make accurate predictions, but I can say this: we have had a moderate to warm summer (...
Post date: 11/01/2021
How's the color now along the western NC mountains?I drove from Boone, NC to Highlands, NC yesterday morning, taking Rt. 105 to US 221 to US 70 in Old Fort, to I-40 W to Waynesville, then US 23 to Franklin and finally Rt. 28 to Highlands.Colors were at or even slightly past peak at high elevations in the Foscoe/Grandfather Mt./Linville area. Once you drop off the mountain at Linville Falls to North Cove, colors diminish some, but they are coming up on the hillsides amidst more green (lower elevation).Once you get on I-40 in Old Fort and begin heading up the hill toward Black Mountain, the...
Post date: 10/25/2021
Today I traveled up to Mt. Jefferson State Natural Area just outside West Jefferson in Ashe County, NC. Colors up on the mountain and surrounding area were just about peaking (there is still a hint of green) and the best viewing is this weekend. However, colors in this area will continue into midweek, but around Thursday, rain is supposed to move in, which may take down some leaves. However, there will still be good color the following weekend, so if you missed hiking and viewing leaves today, try this week or next weekend.You can drive right to the top of Mt. Jefferson (take US 221 north...
Post date: 10/18/2021
Today I went up to Carver’s Gap at Roan Mountain, which straddles the NC and TN state line. The Appalachian Trail runs north/south across the top. It was cold today – way below freezing when I got there at around 9 am (and it was already crowded with people!). I found a parking space and decided to check out the Fraser firs on the south side of the gap: quite dense woods, with an understory of Fraser firs about three feet tall, just waiting for the taller trees to die before they take over as the dominants. Then, I headed back to the parking lot and went north up onto the balds, where most...
Post date: 10/13/2021
Here is a suite of photos from my fall color trip yesterday. I took Rt. 221 down to Rt. 226, then headed up to Little Switzerland and got on the Parkway south. Eight miles down the road is where you will find Crabtree Falls Campground and Falls. Then, I headed north on the Parkway to Linville Falls. Visited Linville Falls, before heading home to Vilas (small area just west of Boone).In a previous post, the link to the Grandfather Fall Color Gallery didn't work. Here is one that does: Grandfather Fall Color Gallery Enjoy!I traveled the road "most" taken today, The...