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Skyland, Virginia fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Skyland (Shenandoah NP) area peaks around October 15, with the best viewing from roughly October 14 to October 22.
- Typical peak
- October 15
- Best viewing
- Oct 14 – Oct 22
- Color starts
- Around Oct 3
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 28
- Elevation
- 3,680 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 15. Turn on JavaScript to see today’s estimated 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 Skyland on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Skyland
Skyland sits at the highest point on Skyline Drive, about 3,680 feet, in the central part of Shenandoah National Park. The short trail to Stony Man, the second-highest peak in the park, leads to a rocky summit with views over the Shenandoah Valley and Massanutten Mountain. A few miles south, trails climb Hawksbill, the highest peak in the park, to a summit with views in every direction. Farther south, near Big Meadows, a short trail leads down to Dark Hollow Falls, and the wide, open meadow at Big Meadows is a good place to see deer.
Scenic drive
Skyline Drive runs 105 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge through Shenandoah National Park, with about 75 overlooks along the way. The stretch through the central part of the park, north and south of Skyland, is the highest, and the overlooks look west over the Shenandoah Valley and east over the Piedmont. At the southern end, Skyline Drive connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway, which continues south toward Roanoke.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Snowshoe, WV (88 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 5 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head lower
Charlottesville, VA (39 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 15 days later, and Washington, DC (76 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 16 days later.
National park and forest guide
Scenic drive guide
Nearby destinations
- Charlottesville, VATypical peak Oct 30, 15 days later. 39 miles away.
- Davis (Blackwater Falls), WVTypical peak Oct 17, 2 days later. 69 miles away.
- Washington, DCTypical peak Oct 31, 16 days later. 76 miles away.
- Deep Creek Lake, MDTypical peak Oct 20, 4 days later. 80 miles away.
- Snowshoe, WVTypical peak Oct 10, 5 days earlier. 88 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Skyland?
In a typical year, fall color in the Skyland area peaks around October 15, with the best viewing from roughly October 14 to October 22. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Skyland?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 3, and most leaves are down by about October 28.
Is Skyland early or late compared with the rest of Virginia?
Skyland typically peaks about 11 days earlier than the Virginia average of Oct 26. It ranks 1 of 5 Virginia destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Skyland?
The main fall color in this area comes from red maple, tulip tree, shagbark hickory, and black gum. 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.