Fall Weather in North Carolina can include anything from bitter rainy days to gorgeous summer like weather. {Today we've got the former - boo!} Fall Color won't hit the eastern half of North Carolina, where I'm located, for several months. To
truly see Fall Color here in September, you are going to need to
head West (road trip!) or
check out a webcam located in the cooler climates of our world.
Here are some of the best road trips and webcams I've found...
Early Fall Color Road Trips In North Carolina
The
Travel Channel recommends taking the
Blue Ridge Parkway as it passes Mt. Mitchell, (the highest mountain in the eastern US at 6,684 feet). They note that surrounding
Pisgah National Forest harbors vast expanses of deciduous trees, those leafy trees that provide a canvas for that signature fall color change. They also suggest driving through
waterfall country on
US Route 276, south of Asheville, Really anywhere along the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway, which stretches from Virginia to North Carolina would be lovely for viewing.
Check out the
Fall Foliage Reports on
VisitNC.com to see where the best color will be when you are ready for your road trip. Their reports cover both the
Mountains, the
Piedmont (mid state) and
Coastal color. They can even point you to the nearest Festival if you're in the mood for some local color too!
Early Fall Color via WebCam
Visit
Mount Washington's webcam for a view
New Hampshire's early fall colors. If you are there in person, hike
Tuckerman's Ravine for a wonderful view but remember to bundle up the temperature difference from top to bottom on a late August hike can be as much as 40 degrees. Ask me how I know that little tidbit!
I know leaf peepers famously flock to New England to get their fill of fall color, but they don't have a monopoly on great foliage. Travel to the
western United States (via webcam) to
Montana's Glacier National Park and check out the
Apgar Lookout webcam. This northern locale really sees the colors start to change early on in the season.
Wait, you want to see North Carolina's beautiful Fall Foliage? Okay, check out at this webcam that shows Shining Rock Wilderness in Pisgah National Forest. This site is close to Asheville, NC and the Blue Ridge Parkway. This webcam gives a spectacular view of the fall foliage at Cold Mountain from the largest wilderness area in North Carolina.
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Image: US Forest Service Air Quality Images Site: http://www.fsvisimages.com/ |
Where do you go to check out the best fall foliage?