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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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National Forest·North Carolina·161,851 acres

Croatan National Forest

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorNov 7Aim for Nov 6 to 9
In the forest 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-40I-70I-117US 13Neuse ForestJacksonvilleMorehead CityNewportEmerald IsleBrices CreekHalf MoonKinstonCape Lookoutpeak Nov 7Croatan
I-70US 258US 70Neuse ForestJacksonvilleNewportBrices CreekSwansboroHalf MoonBeaufortBayboroCape Lookoutpeak Nov 7Croatan
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Croatan National Forest Carteret County holds most of the forest and is just past peak today. Craven County, to the north, is on the same day. Jones County, to the northwest, is on the same day.
Croatan National Forest 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 7, best Nov 6 to 9.
Save or share this mapToday’s Croatan National Forest 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 Croatan National Forest in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Croatan National Forest around Nov 7, and the four days to aim for are Nov 6 to 9.

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

Croatan, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the forest
Oct 19 to Oct 25Starting to turn
Oct 26 to Nov 1Nearly peak
Nov 2 to Nov 8Peak color
Nov 9 to Nov 15 this weekPeak color
Nov 16 to Nov 22Just past peak
By elevation The forest runs from about 2 to 40 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 797%

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

Friday, November 6 to Saturday, November 7

You’ll find it peak color.

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

What turns
water oak, blackgum, sweetgum, red maple, bald cypress

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 Croatan National Forest

When is peak fall foliage at Croatan National Forest?

Our forecast puts peak color at Croatan National Forest around Nov 7, and the four days to aim for are Nov 6 to 9.

Where is the best fall color at Croatan National Forest right now?

On Nov 10 the forest is just past peak.

How long does peak last at Croatan National Forest?

About four days at the top, Nov 6 to 9, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.

Is Croatan National Forest past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Nov 7, and on Nov 10 it's just past peak.

What trees turn color at Croatan National Forest?

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

Cape Lookout is on the map above, with its own date.

  1. Cape Hatteras National SeashoreNC · about 87 miles
    Peak Nov 6 best Nov 5 to 8
  2. Petersburg National Battlefield ParkVA · about 156 miles
    Peak Nov 2 best Nov 1 to 4
  3. Uwharrie National ForestNC · about 171 miles
    Peak Nov 4 best Nov 3 to 6