Virginia's fall foliage show is just weeks away
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Map: Jim Sergent
Leaf-peepers, mark your calendars: Virginia's fall color show should get underway in earnest by mid-October, according to a map on Explore Fall.
Why it matters: We're just a few weeks away from gorgeous fall colors, or as we call it, Richmond at her prettiest.
State of play: Peak foliage is expected to sweep south over the next several weeks.
- By mid-October, color will start to pick up in Western Virginia with peak colors starting in the mountains around Blacksburg around Oct. 25, per ExploreFall.com.
- By early November, those beautiful hues will peak around Charlottesville and land in Richmond around mid-November.
If you're impatient, a separate forecast from SmokyMountains.com has the color show starting a few weeks earlier, with peak arriving in the western part of the state by Oct. 20.
Context: Things can change quickly — and weather could scramble the timetable.
- A strong El Niño could raise temperatures and delay some peak colors, according to the National Weather Service.
- Drought conditions — which persist in parts of Maine and the Upper Midwest, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor — could also mute colors.
Yes, but: The colors will come. They always do.
Zoom in: If you want to plan a trip to see them, some of Virginia's best fall color can be found in Shenandoah National Park, Whitetop Mountain and Potomac Heritage Trail, but we also love:
- Pocahontas State Park — 20 miles south of Richmond;
- James River State Park — 95 miles west;
- Natural Bridge State Park — 150 miles west.
The bottom line: You've got a few weeks to perfect the fall uniform: sweater, boots and an irrational attachment to pretty trees.