Fall Foliage 2021 Predictions Are Very Good
The fall foliage 2021 season predictions are here and it sounds positive. The experts are predicting a great fall foliage season this year with a lot of color. Hopefully, the next few weeks will bring cooler temperatures, little wind and not a lot of rain. That should result in a great showing of vivid colors for the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia along the Blue Ridge Parkway. A cold front approaches this week and is forecast to bring much cooler temperatures. This is a perfect setup for the development of beautiful fall colors in North Carolina and Virginia. There is already some minimal and patchy color noticeable in the trees along the parkway. Color changes are already underway in the red maples, sassafras, ash trees and dogwood trees. Peak color in the highest elevations (> 6,600ft) should take place as soon as the last week of September! Plan those trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway now!
The first area along the Blue Ridge Parkway to show color is located in North Carolina. These areas have the highest elevations. Grandfather Mountain is predicted to peak first because of the elevation of 5946 feet. Mount Mitchell and Craggy Gardens are included in the first-to-peak locations along the parkway in NC. Rough Ridge will also be another location to have color by the first of October. Color then spreads and peaks into the mid-elevations usually about the second and third weeks of October. The lower elevations normally peak in late October and early November.
Typical Timeline For Color To Peak In Virginia and NC Along the BRP
● Western Virginia – Early to Mid October
● Central Virginia and Lower Mountain Elevations – Late October to Mid November
● Western North Carolina Highest Elevations – Late September to Early October
● Western North Carolina – Mid October
● Western to Central North Carolina – Mid October to Late October
