Fall Foliage Tours in North Carolina

Fall Is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love watching the leaves change colors and the drop in temperatures means I can once again wear my favorite comfy sweaters. Fall is also a time for redecorating and adding special little touches to our homes that bring all those vibrant fall colors indoors. My kids and I enjoy taking drives up to the mountains to enjoy the changing fall scenery. Or often times, we'll just walk through one of the parks in our area to collect colorful leaves, pinecones and berries for fall decorations we enjoy making at home. Whatever your favorite fall activity may be, North Carolina has many spots that are just perfect for enjoying all those bountiful, vibrant colors that fall has to offer.

The Craggy Gardens Trails in N.C. consist of about 700 acres of hiking trails where you can enjoy the vibrant reds, greens and oranges of the changing foliage in the area. This area has some of the most majestic scenic views and beautiful displays of flowering shrubs anywhere in the mountains of North Carolina. These mountains are where you'll find the annul blooming of the rhododendron. During the month of June, this entire mountain area resembles one large, blooming flower garden. Every fall hundreds of people make the hike to this area to enjoy the bountiful flowers, the changing vibrant colors of the foliage and the top of the line picnic areas. You will be treated to the spectacular views of the foliage in the mountains and valleys in this area. The hiking trails are relatively short but there is a tremendous amount of beauty to be enjoyed on each one. The flower displays are presented at an elevation of 5,220 feet. You can pick up a hiking trail map at the Craggy Gardens visitors center to be sure you get the most out of your hike. Green Knob Trail in N.C. is where you'll be treated to some of the best scenery the Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains have to offer. These trails offer you a comfortable hike into some of falls most beautiful foliage. During your hike, you'll also come across some excellent fishing spots for catching trout and other kinds of fish that are plentiful in this mountain region. You will hike through Laurel thickets, which are very popular in this region. Hovering over the thickets are towering hickory, fir and oak trees blooming with the magnificent colors of fall. During the months of spring and fall, the air at Green Knob Trails is crystal clear. Which enables you to enjoy the maximum effects of the magnificent scenery in this area. The variety of beautiful foliage along this hike is one of its strongest points. At this elevation of 2,040 feet, the colors of the laurel wood and rhododendron will be at their peak during the fall season. Wildflowers of many colors will also be blooming during the fall. The laurel slicks are very dense and this prevents frost from killing the blooms. This creates an amazing display of vibrant colors and blooms amid the changing fall foliage.

Mount Jefferson and New River Trails sets in the Northwest corner of North Carolina and is Americas oldest river. The trails at Mount Jefferson can be hiked in one day at a casual pace. This allows the hiker to enjoy all the natural beauty that the mountain has to offer, and there is plenty. This area is known as a naturalists paradise. Because it includes many species of trees, flowering shrubs, and an abundance of many different wildflowers, all of which vary depending on what elevation of the mountain you are on. The lower areas of the mountain contain sugar maples, red maples, black locusts, mountain maples, white oak and white pine. While the upper areas contain chestnut oak, rhododendron and mountain laurel. Also you'll find serviceberry, bush honeysuckle, and dogwoods scattered throughout the mountain region. This is the perfect place to see some of the best foliage offered in the North Carolina mountain region. There are also several parks in the N.C. and S.C. region where you can view some of the most beautiful foliage in the Upstate. To get more information on these magnificent mountain spots that are just perfect for viewing falls abundant foliage and more spots in the North or South Carolina areas visitwww.ncmountains.com or www.scstateparks.com.