Well folks, it’s a chilly one today and tomorrow is much the same. We’re only a few degrees cooler than normal for this time of year, but this year has been so much warmer than usual, it’s going to feel extra cold. Temperatures are going to dip into the mid to low 30s tonight and tomorrow night with a frost warning in some areas. So if you’re coming up here to see the leaves, make sure to pack your light layers and plan ahead.
Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning was fairly windy, causing a bit of leaf fall in the region. However, thanks to the moisture, the large majority of color is still hanging on to show out longer. We just get a crisp and crunchy walk when we go leaf peeping now. We’re still not completely at peak with greens showing in a lot of the areas we’ve visited. However, if you’re coming this weekend or even the next, there will be plenty of stunning color to see. Actually, this weekend the color is going to accelerate quickly, really showing off at the highest elevations including, Grandfather Mountain, Elk Knob, and Newland. For more on that, follow along with Fall Color Guy.
Today through Monday of next week should be a great time to leaf peep according to Ray’s Weather.
Grandfather Mountain just posted an image taken yesterday from the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Rough Ridge Overlook parking area, and it is showing the colors turning vibrantly around the Linn Cove Viaduct. We highly recommend stopping to take a photo at this spot over the next few days. If you do the Rough Ridge Hike, make sure to follow the Leave No Trace principles and stay on the trail. This area has very endangered plant life that is easily trampled and takes decades to regrow if it does at all.
Also, it’s good to get familiar with the Parkway Etiquette as it is a popular local route and helps people commute across the county as well as being a popular vacation destination. We also enjoyed driving down HWY221 between Blowing Rock and Linville earlier this week as the video below shows.
