Fall Color Report for October 15, 2025
Peak fall color for the High Country (Blowing Rock down to Linville Falls along the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) is happening right now. I’d say the peak started around Sunday and will last into this weekend, although good color will still be around into next week. Some trees are starting to lose their leaves now and so the best color after this weekend will be from the overlooks, although it will still be quite good right on the BRP.
I took the drive to Beacon Heights and Linn Cove Viaduct this morning, and as you can see from the attached photos, colors are quite good right now. Now it’s not a banner year for color – I’d rate the colors a 6 or 7 on a scale of 10. But even these ratings are worth a trip up because a color rating of 6-7 means the leaves are quite beautiful. Remember, even in a bad year you will have a good time in the High Country!
What is causing me to downgrade the colors this year and not rank them an 8 or 9 is because of two factors: one is the extended drought, which is much more severe and long lasting than I anticipated, and the other is the warm temperatures we’ve been experiencing these last two weeks, particularly during the day. Nighttime temperatures are getting into the 40s which is good, but daytime temperatures are about 10-15 degrees warmer than I’d like for optimal color.
The drought is causing some trees to lose leaves prematurely, most notably the tulip poplars and birches, but even red and sugar maples are dropping their leaves too. The warm temperatures are diminishing the intensity of the red anthocyanins, so those trees aren’t jumping out at you as in years past. Nonetheless, there is good color out there and if you drive on the BRP you’ll go in and out of good color areas.
The weather this year has cooperated with tourists as there is little chance of rain, so you can expect to have the opportunity to do some hiking and other outdoor activities. A cold front coming in later in the week could bring some light rain on Sunday, but otherwise, the forecast is for clear, blue skies and moderate temperatures.
This weekend I will head up to Doughton Park which is on the border of Ashe and Alleghany counties and is the largest parcel of land managed by the BRP. I highly recommend a visit, and as I noted in a previous report, the BRP is now open continuously from the VA border all the way down to Linville Falls. After about a 30 mile break, it is open again from Craggy Gardens all the way to its terminus in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. So, you have essentially the entire BRP for fall foliage viewing.
To see the photos with captions go to The Fall Color Guy page on Facebook.
Have a great weekend!