Here Are The Best Times And Places To View Fall Foliage In Virginia

Believe it or not, fall is swiftly on its way to the great state of Virginia. And with it comes one of our favorite outdoor past times: admiring the gorgeous fall foliage. Beautiful in all seasons, the Old Dominion has a way of becoming positively enchanting with the onslaught of oranges, golds, reds, and yellows that signify autumn. True fall leaf aficionados will agree that it's never too early to start planning road trips, hikes, and other excursions. With that in mind, we've discovered an interactive map courtesy of the folks at Smoky Mountains. According to this year's fall foliage map for Virginia, here's what we can expect:

The Fall Foliage Prediction Map from Smoky Mountains is an incredible tool that predicts the peak time for leaf viewing in the U.S. The colors are coordinated to indicate no change, minimal, patchy, partial, near peak, peak, and past peak and the colors change from green to brown.

Sliding the scale from left to right, you'll notice that Virginia will begin to observe fall foliage beginning in mid-October.

As the month progresses, it will be as though Mother Nature is turning the volume up on fall color, with the weeks of Oct. 17 and 24 being wonderful times to get out and enjoy a scenic fall drive in Virginia.

By Oct. 31, virtually all of the Old Dominion will be at peak fall foliage -- some outliers in the northwest corner of the state will even be past prime fall colors. After Halloween, all of Virginia will be past peak fall foliage, and the leaves will begin to fall off the trees. Which, is in and of itself a lovely time to get outdoors, too!

We lucky Virginians have just under a month until the fall colors descend upon our state. In the meantime, we can begin planning all the incredible ways to enjoy the upcoming season. Photographed here is the iconic Mabry Mill, one of our favorite fall day trips in Virginia!

To view the full map, visit the official Smoky Mountains website. Looking for more autumn inspiration? Be sure to read about this gorgeous fall foliage train ride through Virginia!