Fall Colors Surge: Peak Foliage Coming Soon To Asheville, NC

~ Autumn Forecast Update: Weekly color report identifies best and brightest of fall season ~ 

ASHEVILLE, N.C., Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The latest fall leaf report shows peak color beginning to descend on the mountains around Asheville. Biologists, attractions and climate experts are reporting a crescendo of color on the way as fall leaves move toward prime conditions.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121017/DC95136)

"There is strong color now in and around Asheville, which is increasing every day toward peak conditions. We should see great color through late October," said Parker Andes, director of horticulture at Biltmore. "Red maples, sourwoods and gum trees are beautiful right now with birches, hickories and sugar maples beginning to join the autumn array."

"The highest elevations in Western North Carolina experienced their optimal color during the first week of October," said Jake Crouch, climate scientist at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville. "Over the next two weeks, peak fall color will continue to migrate down the mountain slopes into the Asheville area at 2,100 feet. Peak leaf color tends to move into the middle and lower elevations at a rate of about 1,000 feet of elevation every five days."

Weekly Fall Color Reports

To help visitors locate where the autumn color is peaking from week to week, the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau is working with fall foliage experts to compile weekly color reports for the mountains of Western North Carolina. Foliage updates, fall events and travel booking information is available at FallintheMountains.com.

VIEW THE CURRENT FALL FORECAST & COLOR REPORT

• Foliage Color Report for Western North Carolina
• Best Fall Foliage Tours, Hikes and Drives
• Autumn Travel Deals of the Week
• Fall Pictures: See Scenes of the Season, Submit to Fall Photo Content and Win Cash
• Fall Events

About

Located along the Blue Ridge Parkway and just outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Asheville area is steeped in natural history and full of fall adventure. With elevations that range from 1,500 feet in the valleys to 6,684 feet at Mount Mitchell (the highest peak east of the Mississippi River), the Blue Ridge Mountains are a fall leaf kaleidoscope from late September through early November. Travel and fall color information at FallintheMountains.com.

Multimedia

• Fall Color Video: 2012 fall season b-roll video in HD
• High-res autumn images for download
• @FallColorHunter on Twitter: Up-to-the-minute color updates, travel tips and deals

SOURCE Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau