1) Mount Mitchell and Craggy Gardens
First week of October
The highest peaks east of the Mississippi River, Craggy Gardens and Mount Mitchell are a little over an hour from downtown Asheville. Traveling on the Blue Ridge Parkway, you will meet Craggy’s .7-mile hike first, then travel twenty minutes to Mitchell, where you only need to walk .5 miles to the summit. Even if you are not able to make the trip before the second week of October, colors will remain spectacular in the valleys through later in the month.
2) Grandfather Mountain and the Linn Cove Viaduct
First week of October
Among the many mile-high mountain peaks in North Carolina, Grandfather Mountain is already in the peak of its fall colors at the summit. A couple of hours from downtown Asheville, Grandfather features several other activities, including:
- An animal refuge
- A mile-high swinging bridge
- Twenty miles of additional hiking trails
- Adventure Hiking trials from the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Boone and Blowing Rock, NC
- Incredible views
If you are visiting Grandfather, plan to take the parkway to the Linn Cove and enjoy the colors already displayed on the summit. The Linn Cove Viaduct is a concrete segmental bridge running along Grandfather, with stunning views of the summit on one side and the valleys on the other. There are several overlooks and hiking trails as well.
3) Mount Pisgah
First and second weeks of October
Mount Pisgah is about an hour and a half from the center of the city, south on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The hike to the peak of Pisgah is about a mile and a half, featuring a 280-degree view of the surrounding scenery. Though the colors are nearing peak at the summit, the valleys and other nearby peaks will continue transitioning through the second week of October.
4) Linville Falls and Gorge
Second and third weeks of October
Less than two hours from Asheville, Linville Falls and Gorge can be accessed by a relatively easy four-mile loop featuring thundering waterfalls and North Carolina’s “Grand Canyon.” The Linville area will be quite busy on the weekends through the end of the month, but it is worth the trip. Once you have taken in the sights, consider visiting nearby Little Switzerland.
5) Clingmans Dome
First and second weeks of October
The beautiful observatory on the peak of Clingmans Dome rises high above the surrounding valleys, displaying powerful colors throughout the first half of October. Clingmans Dome is just over the Tennessee border, about two hours from Asheville.
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