Post date: 08/29/2023
Fall Color Update – August 24, 2023Drought is always a factor potentially affecting fall leaf colors. The NC Climate Office has just put out their latest Climate Blog and it shows that the middle and eastern portions of the state are suffering from drought now, but the mountains are not. We have had above average rainfall actually and soil moisture levels are doing fine.It's hot now, even for the mountains, but a cooling trend is coming over the weekend and into next week. It may even bring some rain. So, at this point, things are still looking good for the upcoming fall color season.https://...
Post date: 08/22/2023
Fall Color Report for Week of August 20, 2023It’s still quite early in the season to be making any definitive predictions about the fall colors we’ll get in a few months, but there are some signs to take note of. First off, we are not in a drought situation. We’ve had abundant rain this summer, the soils are quite moist, and the trees aren’t showing any signs of distress. Of course, that could change between now and the end of September, but so far so good. Second, the long-range NOAA forecast (see attached figure) suggests that we will have slightly elevated temperatures through...
Post date: 10/11/2022
Today was one of the most spectacular fall color days we have had in the High Country in several years. The weather was perfect, starting off with temperatures in the mid-30s and only getting to the mid-50s, with clear blue skies. I’ll say up front that we are at peak color above 3,000’ elevation in the Blowing Rock to Chestoa overlook section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Colors will continue looking good through to next weekend, although there is a forecast for rain and possible thunderstorms on Thursday. If that happens, we may lose some leaves for next weekend, but hopefully they will be...
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...