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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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National Seashore·North Carolina·26,665 acres

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorNov 6Aim for Nov 5 to 8
In the seashore today, Nov 10Just past peak
SepOctNov

Roadsides and wetland edges turn first, and the woods behind them run a few days later.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-64US 264US 64US 70BuxtonWancheseKill Devil HillsNags HeadManteoElizabeth CitySouthern ShoresHavelockCroatanpeak Nov 7Cape Hatteras
I-64US 264US 64BuxtonWancheseKill Devil HillsNags HeadSouthern ShoresElizabeth CityCape Hatteras
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Cape Hatteras National Seashore Nearly all of the seashore is in Dare County, which is peak color today. That’s the county as a whole, which peaks 2 days later than the seashore’s own stands: the seashore is just past peak. Hyde County, to the west, is 1 day ahead.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore fall foliage map 2026: the unit and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Nov 6, best Nov 5 to 8.
Save or share this mapToday’s Cape Hatteras National Seashore 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 Cape Hatteras National Seashore in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Cape Hatteras National Seashore around Nov 6, and the four days to aim for are Nov 5 to 8.

That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Cape Hatteras, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the seashoreElevation at peak
Oct 19 to Oct 25Starting to turn
Oct 26 to Nov 1Nearly peak
Nov 2 to Nov 8Peak color-1,000 to 0 ft, 0 to 1,000 ft
Nov 9 to Nov 15 this weekJust past peak
Nov 16 to Nov 22Just past peak
By elevation The seashore runs from about -3 to 5 feet. It turns together: there isn’t enough relief here for the color to come down in stages.
  1. 0–1,000 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 636%
  2. -1,000–0 ftJust past peakpeak Nov 664%

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

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.

Thursday, November 5 to Friday, November 6

You’ll find it peak color.

That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.

  • 0–1,000 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 6
  • -1,000–0 ftPeak colorpeak Nov 6
What turns
bald cypress, blackgum, red maple, sweetgum, water oak

What turns, and when

Also named across North Carolina, outside what the canopy read measures here: Tulip Poplar, Sourwood, Hickory, White Oak.

Sourwoods turn deep crimson before anything else, tulip poplars go clear gold, hickories fade to bronze, and the layered ridgelines of the Blue Ridge create that famous smoky depth of warm color.

Questions people ask about Cape Hatteras National Seashore

When is peak fall foliage at Cape Hatteras National Seashore?

Our forecast puts peak color at Cape Hatteras National Seashore around Nov 6, and the four days to aim for are Nov 5 to 8.

Where is the best fall color at Cape Hatteras National Seashore right now?

On Nov 10 the seashore is just past peak. The last band to peak was -1,000 to 0 feet, around Nov 6.

How long does peak last at Cape Hatteras National Seashore?

About four days at the top, Nov 5 to 8, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.

Is Cape Hatteras National Seashore past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Nov 6, and on Nov 10 it's just past peak.

What trees turn color at Cape Hatteras National Seashore?

Tulip Poplar, Red Maple, Sourwood, Hickory, White Oak. Sourwoods turn deep crimson before anything else, tulip poplars go clear gold, hickories fade to bronze, and the layered ridgelines of the Blue Ridge create that famous smoky depth of warm color.

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 7 long-running forest cameras: two dates in three land within 13 days of the camera’s own peak. How this map is made

All of North Carolina

Nearby, and when they turn

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

  1. Cape Lookout National SeashoreNC · about 62 miles
    Peak Nov 7 best Nov 6 to 9
  2. Petersburg National Battlefield ParkVA · about 151 miles
    Peak Nov 2 best Nov 1 to 4