Fall Color Update: October 17, 2025

Peak Color & Big Events

It has been another vibrant week here in the NC High Country and we are excited to share our colors with you! This weekend will be the busiest weekend of the season, with fall foliage, the Woolly Worm Festival, Valle Country Fair, and Homecoming at Appalachian State University bringing thousands to visit.

Our advice: wherever you’re going, go early. Sunrise hikes offer incredible lighting for the gorgeous fall tones, and being able to find parking is a definite motivator for the early hour. Wherever your destination in the NC High Country this weekend, allow more travel time for traffic and appreciate the extra time to enjoy the lovely colors along the way.

It looks like we have another beautiful weekend ahead. Don’t forget to bring light layers for chilly mornings and evenings, and perhaps a rain jacket for Sunday.

Where to View Foliage

The northern sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC are now open! The Blue Ridge Parkway is open for more than 100 continuous miles in NC– from Linville Falls through the Virginia border. Color will be more consistent along the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Blowing Rock, but it’s developing beautifully in the Deep Gap area and on the route through Ashe County to the north.

Highway 221 from Blowing Rock to Linville has beautiful color right now and may be an excellent alternative to the Parkway when it becomes busy.

This week, there’s nowhere in particular that you need to go to view foliage – there’s color everywhere. Even maple trees in local parking lots are putting on a show! Just remember to give yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going, make reservations when possible, and pack your patience since there will be a lot of people moving around in our area.

Image at the top of the page was taken Thursday, October 16 in Blowing Rock. More below!

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Blog, Fall Color Blog