When is best time to see fall foliage in Hendersonville? Online tool gives weekly updates

Dean Hensley, Hendersonville Times-News
·2 min read

The leaves are beginning to show their true colors in the Hendersonville area as mid-October approaches, and now, thanks to a new online tool by Visit Hendersonville, visitors can find out when and where the best places are to see fall foliage.

Visit Hendersonville, located at 201 South Main St., is the visitor's center, providing visitors everything they need to know for their Hendersonville vacation. For the fall months, the organization has a leaf tracking tool on its website at visithendersonvillenc.org.

Each week during fall, the website provides updates to the fall foliage in the Hendersonville area. According to the website, leaves began changing color in Western North Carolina during the first week of October at the highest elevations (above 5,000 feet), as temperatures slowly began to get cooler.

During the second week of October (Oct. 8-14), trees between elevations of 4,000-5,000 feet were changing color. Here are the predictions from Visit Hendersonville for the rest of October:

  • Third week of October (Oct. 15-21): The colors start trickling down through the 3,000 to 4,000-foot range. This is a prime time for Blue Ridge Parkway drives and amazing views.

  • Fourth week of October (Oct. 22-28): Hendersonville and the lower Blue Ridge hills (2,000 to 3,000 feet) are predicted to hit their peaks.

  • Last of October/first week of November (Oct. 29-Nov. 4): Down in the valleys (1,000 to 2,000 feet), the colors hit their peaks. Visitors will see the full splendor from the mountain tops, through the vineyards and orchards and into town.

More: Peaking soon: Some of the best hikes to see fall colors in WNC

A motorcyclist’s passenger takes in the view from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Graveyard Fields, October 5, 2023.
A motorcyclist’s passenger takes in the view from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Graveyard Fields, October 5, 2023.

This was the latest weekly update on Visit Hendersonville's website:

Oct. 10: To the North of Hendersonville, Fletcher is not yet seeing as vibrant of foliage as the higher elevations. At Rutledge RV Park, the lake is mostly surrounded by green, while at Bill Moore Park, a few trees are beginning to show off their reds and yellows, while the majority of the trees that surround the park and the mountains around are only showing early stages of the leaves changing color.

More: Asheville fall foliage forecast: Cooling temps signal 'perfect conditions:' When is peak?

Visit Hendersonville's fall color tool is available at this link: visithendersonvillenc.org/postings/2023-fall-color-report. For more information call Visit Hendersonville at 828-693-9708.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Visit Hendersonville's online tool gives updates on fall foliage