Where to go to catch last of Western North Carolina's leaf season: 2023 fall foliage

Sarah Honosky, Asheville Citizen Times
·5 min read

ASHEVILLE - Leaf season is on its way out in the mountains of Western North Carolina, but as fall color makes its way into the lower elevations, area experts say there's still time to nab some fall views in the foothills and Piedmont.

Looking out the window in Boone, where Howard Neufeld is based, professor of plant eco-physiology at Appalachian State University, he said it's mostly "bare hills" and past peak clinging leaves, many of them dropped during the week's hard freeze.

There's the occasional russet shock of foliage — likely a "hardy" oak, still hanging on to the last of the season's color. Despite the onset of November, foliage peaking along the Blue Ridge Parkway in mid-October, Neufeld said there is likely still color to be found at elevations of about 2,000 feet and below.

Downtown Asheville, October 25, 2023.
Downtown Asheville, October 25, 2023.

Chimney Rock State Park is among one of the most iconic places to grab late season views. It's located in Rutherford County, 25 miles southeast of Asheville, and overlooks Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure. Chimney Rock is 2,280 feet in elevation, while the top parking lot is 1,965.

Olivia Slagle, spokesperson for Chimney Rock Management, which runs the private fee area of the park containing the elevator and some of the most popular hiking trails, said the park was at its peak the week of Oct. 30, but anticipated a few more days of "nice color in the gorge."

"Like everyone else, we're coming to the end of our season, but there is still some nice color to be seen down in Hickory Nut Gorge, including Chimney Rock," Slagle said. "Especially on some of our lower trails in the park and, of course, looking down from Chimney Rock into the valley."

At this point in the season, she recommended the Hickory Nut Falls Trail, a 1.4-mile out and back culminating in a 404-foot waterfall. It also made a cameo in the 1992 film "Last of the Mohicans."

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Slagle also recommended the Four Seasons Trail, a .6-mile moderate-to-strenuous trail that climbs nearly 400 feet through "towering deciduous forests," according to the website, and connects with the Hickory Nut Falls Trail.

"This weekend is probably about the last of it," she said of fall color.

Neufeld also mentioned Crowders Mountain State Park, 32 miles west of Charlotte, which peaks at 1,625 feet. Last year, he recommended Rainbow Falls, a popular recreation spot in the Transylvania County area of Pisgah National Forest, which can be accessed at Gorges State Park.

Fall colors are seen along the Blue Ridge Parkway, October 19, 2023.
Fall colors are seen along the Blue Ridge Parkway, October 19, 2023.

Looking back on the season's foliage

It's difficult to follow 2022's "exceptional" fall color, which brought some of the best color forecasters had seen in a decade, but Neufeld said 2023 was still a good year — ranked a 7 or 8 on his personal scale. Last year? A 10.

When this fall hit peak, he said, around Oct. 17, it showed "brilliant color," more orange and yellow than vibrant red. Neufeld said it was one of the busiest fall color seasons he's ever seen. The Blue Ridge Parkway looked "like a parking lot" in some sections, people coming out of the COVID-19 downturn in "great numbers."

More: Black bear activity prompts closure of Gorges State Park campground

Oct. 30: Though some nice pockets of fall color remain, Grandfather Mountain is now past peak as the area nears the end of October. The photo of the mountain’s lofty peaks was taken from U.S. 221, just south of MacRae Meadows.
Oct. 30: Though some nice pockets of fall color remain, Grandfather Mountain is now past peak as the area nears the end of October. The photo of the mountain’s lofty peaks was taken from U.S. 221, just south of MacRae Meadows.

Where else should you hike?

Sara Landry, executive director of Friends of DuPont State Forest, agreed it was a beautiful and busy year. In Hendersonville, she said there is still fall color to be found. Not as vibrant as peak, but "definitely worth taking a walk in the woods."

The nonprofit advocates for the DuPont State Recreational Forest, a 10,400-acre forest located in the Blue Ridge Mountains between Hendersonville and Brevard, most well-known for its many waterfalls.

The year has been "absolutely stunning," she said, and recommended people check out two hikes in particular:

Big Rock and Cedar Rock Trail

  • Length: A 4.5-mile loop.

  • Directions: Visitors can park at the Corn Mill Shoals parking lot on Cascade Lake Road and take Big Rock Trail to the top.  There you should turn right onto Cedar Rock Trail to descend.

  • Things to know: Share the trails. This is a multi-use and multi-directional trail. Dogs are welcome, but they need to be on a leash at all times. A ticket for an "off-leash" dog can result in a $250 fine, Landry said.

Cedar Rock Trail in DuPont State Recreational Forest should have some last bursts of fall color this weekend.
Cedar Rock Trail in DuPont State Recreational Forest should have some last bursts of fall color this weekend.

Wintergreen Falls

  • Length: 1.25-mile hike.

  • Directions: The trail can be found via Guion Farm Access Area on the Hendersonville side of the Forest.

  • Things to know: Landry said it offers views of a "small but secluded" waterfall. Visitors are prohibited from climbing on rocks or wading above waterfalls.

Rose Jenkins Lane, spokesperson for Conserving Carolina, a Hendersonville-based land trust, recommended a few of the trails that they have recently built, specifically in its emerging Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail network, a vision of an 100-plus network of connected trails.

"I think it's been amazing .... It's been relatively extended," Lane said of the year's fall color season. From the first reds of the sourwoods, to the emerging gold and then, finally, the vibrancy of bright red maples.

More: Strawberry Gap Trail, newest link in Hickory Nut Gorge, opens in Henderson County

Youngs Mountain Trail

  • Length: 4.2 miles out-and-back (2.1 miles each way).

  • There is extremely limited parking available at the current Youngs Mountain trailhead, which is located within the gated Tatanka community north of Lake Lure. Currently, parking is free and available to the public but you must register for a pass for one of the limited parking spaces. To register, visit conservingcarolina.org/youngs-mountain to find the link. Once registered for a parking pass, Conserving Carolina will send the gate code and directions to the trailhead.

  • Things to know: The trail first opened in 2021. It ascends 1,200 feet in elevation to reach the top of scenic cliffs near the summit of the mountain. It offers panoramic views of Lake Lure, Rumbling Bald, Weed Patch Mountain, and the lower Hickory Nut Gorge. On a clear day, Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains are also visible.

More: New hiking trail in Hickory Nut Gorge connects Bearwallow and Wildcat Rock trails

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Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Where to go to catch the last of Western North Carolina fall color