We are about to enter the most colorful time of the year. While we don’t have scientific research to confirm it, we can say with a good deal of certainty that fall is the favorite season of the year for many, if not most people. With cooler days bathed in ample sunshine, it’s like a kinder summer without humidity. Plus, the changing of the leaves adds drama and beauty to any time spent outside.
Gazing at a long-range view encompassing thousands of trees and other features is breathtaking and beautiful – like a scene created by a pointillist artist. From another perspective, when we are asked to describe a fall day, it’s not just the scenery that is a part of the description. It’s the smells, the feels, the memories, the details that all blend into the picturesque, bucolic setting that encapsulates fall in all its glory.
The Sights
This is the easiest one to get on board with. The scenery. Everyone loves seeing the colors slowly emerge along the roadsides and up the mountainsides. A favorite activity during the fall months is taking a drive – often along a curvy mountain road where the pace is slow enough to see every detail. Routes that are high on the list include the Blue Ridge Parkway, Highway 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and scenic by-ways in each state (North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia - be sure to scroll down to watch some videos about Virginia's scenic byways).
Along those scenic drives, you’ll need to stop and stretch your legs. That’s a great time to enjoy a hike. From walking down to the Cascades along the Blue Ridge Parkway (MP 271.9), wandering under the Linn Cove Viaduct, crossing the Liberty Bridge to see the Falls on the Reedy River, and stopping to explore the structures more closely in Cades Cove, the opportunities to take in some of the details in your fall photograph are numerous.
While everyone is excited to see the turning of the leaves, you can’t forget the flowers. First comes the bright yellow waves of Jerusalem artichokes, then the groves of goldenrod. Yellow isn’t the only color of the rainbow represented – purple chimes in with ironweed and Joe Pye weed, along with soft shades of violet in asters. The bright colors are softened by white frost asters and the non-native, but prolific blue cornflowers. Don’t be afraid to get up close for your photos of flowers. They are excellent models.
The Sounds and Smells
Fall has its own smells and sounds. Some are from nature and others require a bit of human help to achieve, but all are evocative of the months between September and November.
What’s that humming? If you pause for just a minute and hold as still as you can when you walk past a field of goldenrod, you’ll hear it. Bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzz! Bees love goldenrod. Its heavy pollen is an excellent food source as they begin to prepare for the winter months.
Fall is rut season. Triggered by decreasing daylight, male deer and elk begin looking for mates. Sometimes you’ll hear clicking and clacking of antlers being engaged in battle for the attention of nearby females. But you’ll really want to tune into the male elks bugling to attract a mate. The elk herd was hunted to extinction in North Carolina and Tennessee in the late 1700-mid 1800s, but repopulation work started in 2001 with 25 elk reintroduced to the Cataloochee Valley. Now the herd numbers around 270. You can view elk in the Cataloochee Valley, Balsam Mountain, and Oconaluftee. Keep your distance and be respectful of the wildlife – they are very unpredictable during mating season.
Crunch, crunch, crunch. There’s something satisfying about taking a walk in the woods and listening to the crunching leaves underfoot. You don’t even have to be in the woods to enjoy this sound of fall – take a walk through your yard or down the sidewalk.
Echoes of “Rocky Top,” “Hi Hi Yike-Us,” “Here’s to Wake Forest,” “Tiger Rag,” and “Step to the Rear” hang in the fall air. The pageantry of football is definitely a centerpiece of the fall season – and nothing brings us together like a good tailgate – so add to the sounds and colors, the smell of barbecue, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and all the other goodies to be enjoyed before the big game. Add a football game to your fall itinerary – Mountaineers – Tigers – Gamecocks – Catamounts – Volunteers – Demon Deacons.
Here’s one we haven’t thought about in quite some time – the smell of tobacco curing in a barn. If you ever put up tobacco, you know the smell. Burley tobacco would be cut in the field in September, allowed to wilt a while in the field, and then hung in a barn until late October or early November. When it first goes up in the barn, it smells “green.” But as it cures (dries) and gets ready to be graded and tied, it takes on an earthy, nutty, woody smell. Many a young’un had Christmas toys and went to college from a tobacco allotment in the mountains.
Another fall smell is smoke – from a campfire, a bonfire, or a chimney. It’s a warm, cozy, snuggly smell that prepares us for winter.
The Vibes
The overall vibe for fall is warm and friendly. Where can you feel that? At your favorite fall festival is a good place to start.
The Valle Country Fair in Valle Crucis is a community event for everyone. It’s hosted by the Holy Cross Episcopal Church and has volunteers from the church and the greater community. Funds raised from the Fair are given back to many local non-profits serving children, homeless, food insecure, and elderly people in the High Country. Visit the apple butter gang for a yummy treat to enjoy right then or keep until winter winds blow outside and you need a warm, tasty pick-me-up.
Apples are an important food for the fall and winter season. Many varieties that are harvested late in the season will keep through the winter and into the spring providing a taste of fall long after the leaves have blown away. Head to a local apple festival, orchard, or farmers market to find apples by the bushel. Oftentimes, the grower will have samples, so you can discover a new flavor profile as you shop for old favorites.
Whether visiting an orchard or finding your apples at a farmers market, don't be afraid to buy more than you can eat in the next couple of weeks. Right now, Golden Delicious are coming in, and next week, it's time for Fujis to be picked. Both of these are sweet-tasting. In October, Staymans (also called Winesaps) and then Granny Smiths are the order of the day. Both are tart and are good keepers. In late October, look for Goldrush (semi-sweet) and in early November, it's time for Pink Ladies (semi-sweet) and Limbertwigs (an old-fashioned variety that's semi-sweet). If you have room in your refrigerator, store a few extra apples there to enjoy later or put them in a cardboard box in an unheated garage - that works, too.
Stop by your local farmers market. Markets in the fall have a distinctive tone because many of them are ending as the calendar turns to November. Patrons are gathering up the carryover supplies for the winter including apples, cabbage, and winter squash. Don’t be afraid to pick up some extra butternut, acorn, or spaghetti squash while you’re at the market. They are “keepers.” Just brush off the dirt (don’t wash them, though) and separate them to allow the skins to toughen up. Then store them in a cardboard box in a cool space like a garage or unheated basement.
The Season
The fall color season isn’t one day or one week or even one month. It’s a process starting at the highest elevations and then cascading into the foothills and piedmont. While the mountains paint with the biggest brush for fall colors, the foothills and piedmont have their own special places to enjoy fall color through Thanksgiving or even into December depending on the weather.
As a general rule, fall color will begin appearing the end of September with the highest elevations (Mount Mitchell, peak of Grandfather) reaching peak color just before the first weekend in October. High-mid elevations (Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain) start peaking the second weekend, and middle elevations (Boone, Blowing Rock, Valle Crucis) having their peak colors around the third weekend of October.
Roanoke, Asheville, and Waynesville tend to reach their peak color saturation the fourth weekend in October to the first weekend in November. Knoxville, Greenville, and Winston-Salem have good color through the second week of November, typically, and Columbia will have color possibly through Thanksgiving.
It is important to understand that these “predictions,” if you want to call them that, are only generalities. So much is dependent on the weather – do we have rain, when is the first frost (that’s when the colors really begin to show themselves), are there days with high winds, etc. It truly is a guessing game.
Here’s what we do know – if you can come during the week, there is less traffic, so you can see more. Once you land on a date for your visit, if you are staying overnight, make a reservation. Accommodations book up quickly, so be prepared. Be patient – everyone wants to bear witness to this beautiful season – slow down and enjoy the ride, strike up a conversation, look for the details.