It’s not too early to think about leaf-peeping

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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So says USA Today in this story, which gives a complete run-down of where to watch the fall colors around the country. Here’s our part:

North Carolina

Fall color usually appears in the mountains the second week in October at 3,000-5,000 feet, said Neufeld, the Appalachian State University professor. Good leaf-peeping places include Newfound Gap and Clingmans Dome in the Smokies; Mount Mitchell, which is the highest peak in eastern North America; and the Blue Ridge Parkway, which starts in Virginia but runs through North Carolina and Tennessee, between Asheville and the Smokies, with many scenic overlooks.

Look for sugar maples (orange and red), tulip poplars (yellow), sassafras black gum (red), sourwood (red), birches (yellow), and oaks (red or brown). Color shows up in the state’s coastal plains in late October, from oak trees (yellow and brown) and the occasional red maple to cypress trees in swamps, which turn red. Leaf reports are posted starting the last week of September on www.visitNC.com.