Fall Color Update For the Highlands & Cashiers Area

The question on everyone’s mind this year is when will the fall color peak here on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. Each and every year vacationers and travelers religiously flock to our North Carolina mountain communities to experience the changing of the leaves. Our local mountain towns of Highlands, Cashiers, Lake Toxaway, Sapphire, Lake Glenville, and Scaly Mountain are finding that we are running about a week behind previous years due to the arrival of spring later this year and the extended warm temperatures that the area has experienced during the late summer and early fall season. These warmer temps have the leaves clinging ever so tighter to the trees.

The Fall Color 2023 chart shown below projects the anticipated arrival of “peak color.” The map from Appalachian State University’s Department of Biology, conceived and constructed by Howard Neufeld and Michael Denslow, shows the progression of color change according to time and geography. In short, this color map will help ensure you’re at the right place at the right time to witness the leaves in their most colorful glory.

As of now, it appears the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau will experience ideal fall color conditions around the third to fourth week of October.

Our local Plateau communities are positively buzzing during this time of year, making it a fun experience for all. The annual Leaf Festival in Cashiers and other events that celebrate the autumnal season on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau brings people from near and far for fantastic sightseeing, local events, and a whole lot of fun.

If you haven’t made travel plans to check out the fall color this year, it’s a good time to do so.