Fall Color Report

2026 Updates

For the 15th year in a row, WataugaOnline.com is teaming up with Dr. Howard Neufeld, Professor of Plant Eco-physiology at Appalachian State University, better known as The Fall Color Guy to provide information as the colors start changing. For reports from previous years click here.

Dr. Neufeld shared some thoughts just before previous fall seasons that are still relevant for this or any fall season:

As for wet weather, there have been some publications on the impacts of weather on fall color (especially timing, not so much quality). Precipitation has only minor effects on timing in the fall. Temperature is more important. So, at this point, I don’t see anything to make me think that fall colors will be adversely affected, either in timing or quality.

What happens in mid- to late August and in September, temperature-wise, will be more important, especially for quality (notably the intensity of the red colors)”.

People think fall colors are good when they last a long time, and have plenty of brilliant reds interspersed with the oranges and yellows. So, the quality will depend on how much “redness” we have this fall.

Trees tend to make more red colors (anthocyanins) in the fall when it’s cool and sunny, and if we have a slight but not severe drought.

Sunny days means more photosynthesis, and more sugars produced in the leaves, and sugars induce anthocyanin production.

A slight drought impairs uptake of nitrogen (we think) and some experiments suggest that plants low on N make more anthocyanins.

Usually, fall colors peak around Oct 11-14 in the Boone area; sooner by a few days up to a week at higher elevations, later at lower ones. Nice colors can stick around for a week or more, although the peak usually comes and goes in just a few days, weather permitting (no high winds for example)”.

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Friday September 4, 2026 – Neufeld says his scouting season is officially underway. A handful of trees at the highest elevations have already begun showing color, though the vast majority of the region remains green heading into the second week of September. From now through November, he’ll work his way down from the highest peaks of western North Carolina to the foothills, tracking the change and posting photos and observations along the way.

The wildcard for this year is temperature. The region opened September with a stretch of near-record heat, and Neufeld says that matters more than rainfall when it comes to timing: warmer September and October temperatures tend to push peak color later, sometimes by a week or more, while a cooling trend in the back half of September points toward a more typical mid-October peak. He’ll be watching how the rest of the month develops before saying much more about timing.

As a general guide, color moves down the mountain by elevation. Expect the highest peaks — Mt. Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain, above 6,000 feet — to turn first, in the last week of September. Beech Mountain and Rough Ridge (around 5,000 feet) typically follow in the first week of October, with Banner Elk (around 4,000 feet) the second week. Boone, Blowing Rock, West Jefferson, and Price Lake, in the 3,000-foot range, usually see peak color in the third week of October, with the lower elevations toward Wilkesboro following in the fourth week. Those windows shift earlier or later depending on how the weather plays out.

Fall color season is the biggest tourist draw of the year for the High Country. Visit North Carolina has estimated it brings close to $1.8 billion to the western part of the state each year, supporting everything from lodging and restaurants to outfitters and retail.

Check back here throughout September, October, and November — we’ll update this page as Neufeld posts new reports on where the color stands and where to go see it.