Helen Georgia Fall Foliage
Here is some information you may be interested in on the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can view the beautiful Fall foliage while staying in one of our Helen, GA cabins in October. It also includes the best times to view the other parts of the Blue Ridge Mountain areas.
October 1st – October 10th: Peak time for areas above 5,000 feet. This would include: Clingmans Dome, Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell, Waterrock Knob and Graveyard fields (the first location on the Parkway to turn) and higher elevations of The Blue Ridge Parkway (between Asheville and Cherokee) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park
October 10 – 20: Peak time for elevations from 4,000 – 5,000 feet. This would include almost all Blue Ridge Parkway locations and the majority of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as well. Included in this elevation are the Boone and Blowing Rock areas.
October 18 – 26: Peak time for lower elevations, from 3,000 – 4,000 feet. This would include places like: Pisgah National Forest which includes Sliding Rock and Looking Glass Falls, Dill Falls, Wildcat Falls, and many other waterfalls. Other areas include Linville Gorge, Nantahala Gorge, and Maggie Valley.
October 24 – 31: Peak time for elevations below 2,000 feet. This would include: The cities of Asheville, Brevard, Waynesville, Cherokee, and many others. Places of interest include Dupont State Forest and Biltmore Estate.
October 26 – November 8: Peak time for remaining elevations, including Gatlinburg, TN, Chimney Rock NC, Lake Lure and remaining lower elevation mountains. This includes Chimney Rock as well, a great place to see Fall color.
You may consider staying in one of our Helen, GA vacation rentals during the Octoberfest celebration. It starts mid September and ends October 31st. You can enjoy the festivities and the go look at the forest’s vibrant colors.
Here are a few tips for viewing and photographing the scenery.
- Book reservations early. Calendars are filling up fast, so plan now to book your stay in one of our beautiful cabins.
- Be patient. There are lots of people here during the fall, and having a little patience will go a long way to making your visit far more enjoyable. This is also a great time to take some vacation and come up during mid week, when areas are not quite as crowded. Keep in mind our weeknight rates are a good value.
- Bring your digital camera at all times. You never know when the perfect photo opportunity will present itself, be prepared.
- Be prepared for weather changes. Weather in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains changes quickly, so don’t be upset if you can’t get any photos due to the fog or rain. Just hang out for a bit and be patient. Chances are it will blow by and the sun may even come out. We’ve found that some of our best photos are just after a storm. Oh, and if you’re coming in late October/Early November, you might just get some snow too! Be sure and make some snow cream.
- Stay on the roads. We see lots of people stuck trying to venture down some narrow mountain road, or trying to drive through grass they think is dry in order to get that “unique” photo. Unless you have 4-wheel drive, stay on paved or well maintained roads.
- Polarized sun glasses and a polarizing filter for your camera enhance fall colors an reduce glare.
- Travel on the Parkway. If you are traveling the parkway, read over our Parkway Travel Tips.
- Wear layers of clothing or bring a few extra jackets or sweaters. Temperatures here in the Blue Ridge can vary greatly base on weather conditions and altitude.
- Mornings and evenings are the best times for photos. Mid day sunlight is often too harsh. The benefit of getting out early or very late is that you’ll avoid most of the crowd too and get great photos too!
- Avoid thick clouds and fog in your photos. If the sky is very cloudy and/or foggy, try to keep the fog and clouds out of your photos. The white of the clouds and fog is overwhelming, and will just make your photo look smaller. As an example, see the waterfall photo below. Graveyard fields was completely clouded over that day, so when I framed the picture, I kept the sky out as much as possible.
- Make sure you have plenty of gas. Some areas, especially on the parkway and in the national parks, are a long way from the nearest gas station.
We hope this will provide you with the necessary information for your stay in one of our Helen, GA cabins. To read further information and see some beautiful Fall foliage photos, here is the original source for this information: https://blueridgemountainlife.com/fall-foliage/#toc-fall-foliage-2017-forecast-and-guide