Happy fall, y’all!
Ok, so it’s a little early. The first day of Autumn is this Friday, but we have been noticing some color development and wanted to share! Crisp mornings and sunny days have brought an earlier start to fall color in the area this season. It’s still too soon to say whether the trend will continue and result in an earlier peak for foliage in the High Country. Local “Fall Color Guy,” Dr. Howard Neufeld of the biology department at Appalachian State University, reports: “If colors continue to develop at the pace of this last week, I may have to state, for about the first time ever, that I think colors may come early this year, by at least 7 days. However, the coming week is supposed to be warm (mid-70s in the Boone area) and that may slow down the color development.” He notes that Virginia creeper, red and sugar maples, and sourwoods are showing significant color development. See his full Fall Color Report for this week on the Fall Color Guy Facebook page.
The maples along the water at Bass Lake often reach peak color before those on the hills that surround them, and the trail around the lake will only get prettier in the coming weeks. This week, we’ll visit some higher elevations to share the views there. We hope you’ll join us as we attempt to track the 2017 fall color around Blowing Rock!
September 18, 2017 | Bass Lake | elevation 3572 ft