LAKE LURE, N.C. — Soon the leaves will turn gold and red, and the hillsides here and elsewhere in western North Carolina will burst into a kaleidoscope of color.
In many regions of the country, autumn brings scenic splendor, but in this state’s mountain country it is nothing less than spectacular. The color changes start in the high elevations, spread to midmountain and develop last in the valleys — and that makes the viewing period a long one.
Some of the best panoramas are seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway, 251 miles of which runs through the heart of western North Carolina’s mountains at elevations up to 6,047 feet. This roadway, according to the National Park Service, is the most visited unit of America’s national park system and offers many spots where motorists can pull over to admire the scenery. The best viewing comes in mid-October.
Grandfather Mountain near Linville, for one, offers easily accessible views that are unmatched in peak color season. Particularly photogenic are the sweeping curves of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Linn Cove Viaduct set against the reds and yellows of the hillside. In the southern sector of the parkway, Graveyard Fields and Looking Glass Rock also offer splendid vistas.
But there are many other sites with enthralling scenes.
Dazzle at the turning leaves from the Cherohala Skyway as it rises from its start near Robbinsville to the Santeetlah overlook at 5,390 feet. Near the town of Franklin, you can drive to the Wayah Bald area, where its old stone observation tower sits atop the 5,385- foot summit.
Park near the top of Whiteside Mountain, close to the town of Cashiers, to admire the autumn views and its 3,000-foot sheer cliffs, or walk the 2-mile hiking trail there. In the town of Sylva, on Fisher Creek Road, Pinnacle Park provides tourists a brilliant fall panorama. And in the waterfall country west of Hendersonville, lovely views of cascading waters framed by vivid foliage are plentiful.
Here along Lake Lure’s 21 miles of tree-lined shores, autumn’s leafy displays can be seen from all around.
Lake Lure’s best-known attraction, Chimney Rock Park, gives you a bird’s-eye view of the lake and its surrounding area. An elevator takes visitors up 26 stories to the bald rock at the 2,280-foot summit. You can also hike your way to the top.
The view also gives visitors a perspective on the town itself, which is about 30 miles east of Asheville. Private cottages and bed and breakfasts nestle in the many lake coves, and a public beach lines the shore at the town center.
The Lake Lure Inn and Spa is a historic hostelry where such famous visitors as author F. Scott Fitzgerald and presidents Calvin Coolidge and Franklin D. Roosevelt once stayed.
Movie stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey stayed at the inn too during the shooting of “Dirty Dancing.” Although the movie’s setting supposedly was New York’s Catskill Mountains, it was actually filmed at a lakeside summer camp. Lake boat tours take visitors past the site of the filming, but the resort is long gone.
Scenes from other movies have been filmed at Lake Lure, among them “The Last of the Mohicans,” “My Fellow Americans” and “Firestarter.”
The Lake Lure area is popular with active travelers. Besides boating and hiking, visitors can go horseback riding, biking, tubing on the Broad River, which runs through town, and even try their hand at gem mining. Several golf courses are in the area.
Big-city services are available in Asheville, whose websites offer additional directions to good autumn color viewing, as well as information on lodging, harvest activities and events. Visit for weekly color reports starting in early September.
Lodging reservations are advisable well in advance.
The Details
Rutherford County Tourism Authority, 800-849-5998 or
Asheville Convention and Visitor Bureau, 800-921-9698 or
Blue Ridge Parkway, 800-298-0398 or
