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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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Wilderness Area·Georgia·16,618 acres

Mark Trail Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 26Aim for Oct 25 to 28
In the wilderness today, Nov 10Fading
SepOctNov

Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.

Weather Hard frost Friday night. Peak may come early and go fast.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-85I-985US 129US 29Young HarrisClevelandDahlonegaToccoaCorneliaDemorestClarkesvilleRaoulChattahoochee-Oconeepeak Nov 1Southern Nantahala Wildernesspeak Oct 21Ed Jenkinspeak Oct 29Nantahalapeak Oct 19Mark Trail Wilderness
I-985US 129US 123US 19Young HarrisClevelandDahlonegaClarkesvilleDemorestBaldwinRaoulLulaChattahoochee-Oconeepeak Nov 1Southern Nantahala Wildernesspeak Oct 21Ed Jenkinspeak Oct 29Nantahalapeak Oct 19Mark Trail Wilderness
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Mark Trail Wilderness White County holds most of the wilderness and is just past peak today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 5 days later than the wilderness’s own stands: the wilderness is fading. Union County, to the west, is 4 days ahead. Towns County, to the north, is 5 days ahead.
Mark Trail Wilderness fall foliage map 2026: the place and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Oct 26, best Oct 25 to 28.
Save or share this mapToday’s Mark Trail Wilderness fall foliage map as a picture, redrawn every morning. Free to reuse with credit to More Than Just Parks and a link back; the terms.Save the mapPin itFacebookXEmail

When is peak fall foliage at Mark Trail Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mark Trail Wilderness around Oct 26, and the four days to aim for are Oct 25 to 28.

The wilderness runs from about 1,819 to 3,601 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 8 days: the high stands around Oct 23, the low ground around Oct 31. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Mark Trail Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the wildernessElevation at peak
Oct 5 to Oct 11Starting to turn
Oct 12 to Oct 18Nearly peak
Oct 19 to Oct 25Peak color3,000 to 3,500 ft, 3,500 to 4,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Peak color1,500 to 2,000 ft, 2,000 to 2,500 ft, 2,500 to 3,000 ft
Nov 2 to Nov 8Just past peak
Nov 9 to Nov 15 this weekFading
By elevation The wilderness runs from about 1,819 to 3,601 feet. That’s 8 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 23, the low ground holds until about Oct 31, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 2,500 to 3,000 foot band.
  1. 3,500–4,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 238%
  2. 3,000–3,500 ftFadingpeak Oct 2530%
  3. 2,500–3,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2739%
  4. 2,000–2,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 2915%
  5. 1,500–2,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 318%

Height off 3DEP inside the wilderness’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the wilderness stands in it.

Today from the coweeta camera, 14 km from Mark Trail Wilderness
See it now PhenoCam Network, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory camera, 14 km away, captured Nov 9.

That’s 3 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.

Plan this trip

If you can only come on certain days

Set the days you can be here. Everything under them answers for those days, not for peak.

Sunday, October 25 to Monday, October 26

You’ll find it peak color up high, nearly peak lower down.

Up at 3,000 feet the stands peak around Oct 25; down at 2,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 31. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 3,000–3,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 25
  • 2,500–3,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 27
  • 2,000–2,500 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 29
  • 1,500–2,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 31
Where to drive
Cherohala Skyway, about 39 miles · Newfound Gap Road, about 61 miles · Blue Ridge Parkway (NC Section), about 115 miles
What turns
northern red oak, white oak, red maple, shagbark hickory, sugar maple

What turns, and when

Also named across Georgia, outside what the canopy read measures here: Sweetgum.

The Blue Ridge mountains of north Georgia produce warm golds and russets from hickories and oaks, with red maples and sweetgums providing the scarlet and purple accents.

Questions people ask about Mark Trail Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Mark Trail Wilderness?

Our forecast puts peak color at Mark Trail Wilderness around Oct 26, and the four days to aim for are Oct 25 to 28.

Where is the best fall color at Mark Trail Wilderness right now?

On Nov 10 the wilderness is fading. The last band to peak was 1,500 to 2,000 feet, around Oct 31.

How long does peak last at Mark Trail Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Oct 25 to 28, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 8 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 12 days.

Is Mark Trail Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 26, and on Nov 10 it's fading.

What trees turn color at Mark Trail Wilderness?

Red Maple, Hickory, Sweetgum, Tulip Poplar, White Oak. The Blue Ridge mountains of north Georgia produce warm golds and russets from hickories and oaks, with red maples and sweetgums providing the scarlet and purple accents.

This forecast is built from the species that stand here, their elevation and this September’s weather, and corrected in season by cameras, foresters and our own crew. We score it here against 16 long-running forest cameras: two dates in three land within 7 days of the camera’s own peak. How this map is made

All of Georgia

Nearby, and when they turn

Nantahala is on the map above, with its own date.

  1. Citico Creek WildernessTN · about 45 miles
    Peak Oct 25 best Oct 24 to 27
  2. Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock WildernessNC, TN · about 45 miles
    Peak Oct 23 best Oct 22 to 25
  3. Great Smoky Mountains National ParkNC, TN · about 59 miles
    Peak Oct 24 best Oct 23 to 26
  4. Chattahoochee River National Recreation AreaGA · about 60 miles
    Peak Nov 8 best Nov 7 to 10
  5. Cherokee National ForestNC, TN · about 76 miles
    Peak Oct 25 best Oct 24 to 27

Fall color roads near Mark Trail Wilderness

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the wilderness, so allow more by road.

  • Cherohala Skyway · about 39 miles, NC · 43 miles of road

    Connects Robbinsville, NC to Tellico Plains, TN across the Unicoi Mountains. Less traffic than the Parkway, equally spectacular.

  • Newfound Gap Road · about 61 miles, TN · 33 miles of road

    Crosses the spine of the Great Smokies at 5,046 feet. Color peaks at the top in early October and at the base by late October.

  • Blue Ridge Parkway (NC Section) · about 115 miles, NC · 252 miles of road

    Mile markers 217 to 469. The highest and most dramatic section. Waterrock Knob, Craggy Gardens, and Graveyard Fields are must-stop overlooks.