Blue Ridge Parkway Fall Foliage Driving Guide

The Blue Ridge Parkway in October is one of the most photographed roads in America, and that popularity is exactly the problem, because the overlooks fill up and the traffic can swallow the scenery. The trick is knowing when the color peaks, where to pull off, and how to drive it against the flow of everyone else chasing the same leaves.Color moves south as the weeks pass. The high elevations around the North Carolina section near Asheville peak first, often in early to mid October, while the lower Virginia stretches hold their color into late October, so checking a live foliage map before you commit a weekend is worth more than any fixed date. Elevation is the real schedule, and higher means earlier.Drive it north to south