Foliage map › Destinations › West Virginia › Fayetteville
Fayetteville, West Virginia fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Fayetteville (New River Gorge) area peaks around October 24, with the best viewing from roughly October 23 to October 31.
- Typical peak
- October 24
- Best viewing
- Oct 23 – Oct 31
- Color starts
- Around Oct 12
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Nov 6
- Elevation
- 1,800 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 24. 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 Fayetteville on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Fayetteville
Fayetteville sits on the rim of the New River Gorge, which became a national park in 2020. The New River Gorge Bridge spans the gorge about 876 feet above the river, and the boardwalk at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center looks out on it across the forested canyon. The Long Point Trail leads to a rock outcrop with a head-on view of the bridge, and the Endless Wall Trail follows the cliff tops along the rim with views down to the river.
Scenic drive
Fayette Station Road, an 8-mile one-way road, winds down the side of the gorge from near Fayetteville, passing under the New River Gorge Bridge three times on its switchbacks to the river. At the bottom, it crosses the New River on a low bridge and climbs back up the other side, with pullouts for views of the gorge and the bridge high overhead along the way.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Snowshoe, WV (65 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 14 days earlier, and Davis (Blackwater Falls), WV (115 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 7 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head lower
Roanoke, VA (83 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 5 days later, and Charlottesville, VA (143 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 6 days later.
National park and forest guide
Nearby destinations
- Snowshoe, WVTypical peak Oct 10, 14 days earlier. 65 miles away.
- Blacksburg, VATypical peak Oct 24, about the same time. 68 miles away.
- Roanoke, VATypical peak Oct 29, 5 days later. 83 miles away.
- Davis (Blackwater Falls), WVTypical peak Oct 17, 7 days earlier. 115 miles away.
- Hocking Hills, OHTypical peak Oct 27, 2 days later. 123 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Fayetteville?
In a typical year, fall color in the Fayetteville area peaks around October 24, with the best viewing from roughly October 23 to October 31. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Fayetteville?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 12, and most leaves are down by about November 6.
Is Fayetteville early or late compared with the rest of West Virginia?
Fayetteville typically peaks about 7 days later than the West Virginia average of Oct 17. It ranks 3 of 3 West Virginia destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Fayetteville?
The main fall color in this area comes from red maple, tulip tree, shagbark hickory, and 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.