Foliage map › Destinations › North Carolina › Highlands
Highlands, North Carolina fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color around Highlands peaks about October 18, with the best viewing from roughly October 16 to October 25.
- Typical peak
- October 18
- Best viewing
- Oct 16 – Oct 25
- Color starts
- Around Oct 6
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 31
- Elevation
- 4,120 ft
- Color potential
- Among the best in the country
Updated
Typical season
Peak around October 18. Turn on JavaScript to see today’s status and the five-week outlook.
The season at a glance
Bar height shows how good the viewing typically is on each day, from September 1 through November 30. Colors show the stage, from green through peak red to bare.
Open Highlands on the live mapNearby destinations
- Helen, GATypical peak Oct 30, 13 days later. 39 miles away.
- Clingmans Dome, TNTypical peak Oct 8, 10 days earlier. 39 miles away.
- Greenville, SCTypical peak Nov 1, 15 days later. 48 miles away.
- Gatlinburg, TNTypical peak Oct 30, 12 days later. 49 miles away.
- Cades Cove, TNTypical peak Oct 28, 10 days later. 51 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Highlands?
In a typical year, fall color around Highlands peaks about October 18, with the best viewing from roughly October 16 to October 25. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Highlands?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 10 days. Color starts to show around October 6, and most leaves are down by about October 31.
Is Highlands early or late compared with the rest of North Carolina?
Highlands typically peaks about 5 days earlier than the North Carolina average of Oct 22. It ranks 2 of 7 North Carolina destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Highlands?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, red maple, tulip tree, sassafras. See the leaf guide to identify them.
Estimates come from the Leaves.com model of typical years, based on latitude, elevation, and distance from large bodies of water. They are not live observations. How it works.