What will you see at Chimney Rock this week?

10/30/18: It’s beginning to look like autumn in Hickory Nut Gorge. Although we’ve had a delayed beginning to our most colorful season it appears as though change is on the way.  Highway 74 from Asheville and Highway 9 from Black Mountain are a great way to head into the area this week as some of the higher elevations in those areas are ahead of the valley. Once you reach Bat Cave and cruise along the Rocky Broad River you’ll notice the beautiful shades of light yellow in the birch trees. From the Chimney you can look across the gorge and notice the red sourwoods and dogwoods outlining some of the rockfaces and peeking through on the ridges. This weather is perfect for helping the process of color change and as the week progresses we expect to see more color popping up everywhere.

 

 

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10/23/18:Fall color is creeping into Hickory Nut Gorge. Along the ridges and in the higher elevations golden yellow and red hues are beginning to emerge. We still have plenty of fall wildflowers, mainly a variety of goldenrods and asters, adding color along our trails.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10/16/18: Fall color hasn’t reached Hickory Nut Gorge quite yet. Although we’re seeing some yellowing of the Yellow Poplars and a few Sourwoods turning a muted version of their red/purple hues, it appears the warm temperatures we’ve had are keeping much of the transition at bay. The forecast for the next week is calling for some chillier weather, which should assist in the process. Although our trees haven’t caught on that it’s autumn, our fall wildflowers are doing their job of adding beautiful colors along our trails. White Snakeroot, Turtlehead, various Asters and several types of Goldenrod are showing their stuff along our woodland trails.

 

Check out our What’s In Bloom page for updates and photos of fall in the Park.