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Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

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Wilderness Area·Georgia, North Carolina·23,605 acres

Southern Nantahala Wilderness

Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET

Peak colorOct 21Aim for Oct 20 to 23
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 Wind to 35 mph Thursday. Color may come down before it turns.

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

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-75I-26I-85US 123Mountain CityFranklinToccoaCullowheeAndrewsYoung HarrisClevelandWalhallaNantahalapeak Oct 19Mark Trail Wildernesspeak Oct 26Chattahoochee-Oconeepeak Nov 1Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wildernesspeak Oct 23Great Smoky Mountainspeak Oct 24Southern Nantahala Wilderness
I-85US 129US 123US 19Mountain CityFranklinYoung HarrisAndrewsCullowheeClevelandClarkesvilleMurphyNantahalapeak Oct 19Mark Trail Wildernesspeak Oct 26Great Smoky Mountainspeak Oct 24Southern Nantahala Wilderness
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Southern Nantahala Wilderness Towns County holds most of the wilderness and is fading today. Macon County, to the northeast, is 7 days ahead. Clay County, to the northwest, is 1 day ahead.
Southern Nantahala 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 21, best Oct 20 to 23.
Save or share this mapToday’s Southern Nantahala 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 Southern Nantahala Wilderness in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Southern Nantahala Wilderness around Oct 21, and the four days to aim for are Oct 20 to 23.

The wilderness runs from about 2,582 to 4,719 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 11 days: the high stands around Oct 16, the low ground around Oct 25. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Southern Nantahala Wilderness, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the wildernessElevation at peak
Sep 28 to Oct 4Starting to turn
Oct 5 to Oct 11Starting to turn
Oct 12 to Oct 18Nearly peak4,000 to 4,500 ft, 4,500 to 5,000 ft
Oct 19 to Oct 25Peak color2,500 to 3,000 ft, 3,000 to 3,500 ft, 3,500 to 4,000 ft
Oct 26 to Nov 1Just past peak
Nov 2 to Nov 8Just past peak
By elevation The wilderness runs from about 2,582 to 4,719 feet. That’s 11 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 16, the low ground holds until about Oct 25, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 3,500 to 4,000 foot band.
  1. 4,500–5,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1612%
  2. 4,000–4,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 1819%
  3. 3,500–4,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2120%
  4. 3,000–3,500 ftFadingpeak Oct 2328%
  5. 2,500–3,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2518%

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 Southern Nantahala 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.

Tuesday, October 20 to Wednesday, October 21

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

Up at 4,500 feet the stands peak around Oct 16; down at 3,000 feet they hold on until about Oct 25. Pick your elevation for the day you come.

  • 4,500–5,000 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 16
  • 4,000–4,500 ftJust past peakpeak Oct 18
  • 3,500–4,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 21
  • 3,000–3,500 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 23
  • 2,500–3,000 ftNearly peakpeak Oct 25
Where to drive
Cherohala Skyway, about 33 miles · Newfound Gap Road, about 43 miles · Blue Ridge Parkway (NC Section), about 95 miles
What turns
northern red oak, red maple, white oak, shagbark hickory, sugar maple

What turns, and when

Also named across North Carolina, outside what the canopy read measures here: Sourwood.

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 Southern Nantahala Wilderness

When is peak fall foliage at Southern Nantahala Wilderness?

Our forecast puts peak color at Southern Nantahala Wilderness around Oct 21, and the four days to aim for are Oct 20 to 23.

Where is the best fall color at Southern Nantahala Wilderness right now?

On Nov 10 the wilderness is fading. The last band to peak was 2,500 to 3,000 feet, around Oct 25.

How long does peak last at Southern Nantahala Wilderness?

About four days at the top, Oct 20 to 23, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the wilderness's elevations the color moves over about 11 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 15 days.

Is Southern Nantahala Wilderness past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 21, and on Nov 10 it's fading.

What trees turn color at Southern Nantahala Wilderness?

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 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 North Carolina

Nearby, and when they turn

Chattahoochee-Oconee and Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness and Great Smoky Mountains are on the map above, with their own date.

  1. Citico Creek WildernessTN · about 39 miles
    Peak Oct 25 best Oct 24 to 27
  2. Ed Jenkins National Recreation AreaGA · about 43 miles
    Peak Oct 29 best Oct 28 to 31
  3. Cherokee National ForestNC, TN · about 57 miles
    Peak Oct 25 best Oct 24 to 27

Fall color roads near Southern Nantahala Wilderness

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

  • Cherohala Skyway · about 33 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 43 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 95 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.