2015 NC Mountains Fall Color Report Week 3

As we move further into October, some areas of western North Carolina are at or near peak in terms of fall foliage. It’s rather impressive at elevations higher than 4,000 feet. And between 3,000 and 4,000 feet, large patches of Mother Nature’s perfect fall color palette can be found.

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2015 NC Mountains Fall Color Report Week 2

You may have heard about the rain we had last week…actually, it was ten full days! We were fortunate not to experience any flooding at the Inn, and while the Blue Ridge Parkway closed for a couple of days for workers to clear the roadway of any fallen trees, it is back open and offering great views of fall foliage at elevations between 3,500 and 4,500 feet.

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2015 NC Mountains Fall Color Report Week 1

Hey! It’s time for this year’s fall color reports! Why the exclamation points, you ask? Well, usually, our first week report doesn’t have much to share in the way of color. Early fall in the mountains of North Carolina brings little bits of fall foliage here and there, while goldenrod and aster and cardinal flower generally make up for the mostly green landscape during the first week of fall. This year, however, is another story.

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Blue Ridge Parkway Hike: Mt. Mitchell Deep Gap Trail

If you have a visit to Mt. Mitchell State Park on your “getaway to the North Carolina mountains” to-do list, there’s much more than just driving up, parking, and checking out the observation deck on the tallest peak in the eastern United States — there are some great hiking trails there as well.

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Blue Ridge Parkway Hike: Craggy Gardens Trail

Combine a scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway — complete with beautiful blooming rhododendron and photogenic verdant ridges — with a picnic lunch and short hike, and you have what we consider the perfect June afternoon in western North Carolina. One option to make this day trip happen is to head north of Asheville to Craggy Gardens, specifically, the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area.

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