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FALL FOLIAGE: Vibrant colors pop in the North Carolina mountains

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FALL FOLIAGE: Vibrant colors pop in the North Carolina mountains

Published on Nov 06, 2019

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Photograph by Skip Sickler

Photograph by Skip Sickler
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A few spots of fall color shine through in this view of Valle Crucis from N.C. 194. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Photograph by Skip Sickler
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Slowly but surely, an oak tree begins to show its fall colors, bringing autumn to this barn in the High Country's Matney community. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Photograph by Skip Sickler
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A squirrel sits next to one of the season's remaining leaves at Grandfather Mountain. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Spots of fall color dot the banks of the Elk River near Grandfather Mountain. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Photograph by Skip Sickler
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Grandfather Mountain's ridgeline, adorned by some flashes of fall color in the foreground, is visible from this vantage point off U.S. 221 in nearby Banner Elk. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Photograph by Skip Sickler
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On Nov. 1, Grandfather Mountain saw a different type of fall color with a cold front doling out a dusting of snow, 18-degree temperatures and wind gusts of 87.5 mph. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Photograph by Skip Sickler
Photograph by Skip Sickler
Photograph by Skip Sickler
Photograph by Skip Sickler
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Despite this week's wind and rain, there's still plenty of fall color to be found at the Lost Cove Cliffs Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Gold and orange fall foliage lights up the banks along Wilson Creek, as seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Autumn color flows through Linville Falls, as wet weather arrives in the WNC High Country. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Autumnal brilliance blankets a vista seen from the bridge near the Blue Ridge Parkway's Green Mountain Overlook. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)

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The sun rises on a cool autumn morning, as fall color brightens the scenery near Pilot Ridge Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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The Charlotte skyline rises on the horizon some 80 miles away as the crow flies while fall color dominates the foreground in this view from Pilot Ridge Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Fall color is reflected in the lake at Camp Yonahnoka in Linville, as Grandfather Mountain stands tall in the background. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Fall color lights up MacRae Meadows at the base of Grandfather Mountain in this photo taken Thursday, Oct. 24. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Fall color continues its downward trek into lower elevations, as seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Beacon Heights. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Sunset casts the viewscape at the Blue Ridge Parkway's Flat Rock Overlook ablaze with autumn light and fall color, which continues to spread downward from the High Country's loftier elevations. (Skip Sickler)
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Photograph by Skip Sickler
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Fall foliage adds a colorful contrast to the Linville River in Linville, near the base of Grandfather Mountain. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Typically, this Linville Falls visitor's center bridge leads to the eponymous Linville Falls. During autumn, it leads to brilliant fall foliage. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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A rainbow forms over foliage near Rough Ridge on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Much of the High Country's higher elevations are now at peak color, including U.S. 221 near Grandfather Mountain and the Banner Elk area. (Jim Magrude)

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Photograph by Jim Magruder
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Fall color begins its descent from the higher elevations of Grandfather Mountain, past the Linn Cove Viaduct and into the valleys below. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Photograph by Skip Sickler
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On the morning of Oct. 17, rime ice shrouds Grandfather Mountain’s lofty peaks, as brilliant fall foliage blankets the slopes below. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Photograph by Skip Sickler
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Rime ice occurs when temperatures dip low enough for moisture to freeze to a surface — in this case Grandfather Mountain’s spruce fir trees and other high-elevation vegetation. (Mikey Bard Woodie | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Fall color becomes ever more prevalent in the WNC High Country's higher elevations, as seen from the parking lot of Cannon Memorial Hospital in Linville. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Photograph by Skip Sickler
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At Grandfather Mountain, guests are sometimes treated to another surprise when looking below -- a sea of clouds. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Grandfather Mountain’s lofty peaks are framed by fall foliage in MacRae Meadows, located at the mountain’s base. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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In this photo fall color spreads below Grandfather Mountain’s world-famous Mile High Swinging Bridge. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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A bridge on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Stack Rock (around BRP Milepost 304.8) is colorfully accented by fall foliage. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Sugar maples in nearby Pineola turn to gold, as autumn continues its slow and steady march through the WNC High Country. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Photograph by Skip Sickler
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Fall color graces the treetops surrounding a pasture near Banner Elk. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Golden hues weave their way into the otherwise green landscape at Boone Fork Creek, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near the base of Grandfather Mountain. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Bursts of fall color offer a striking contrast with the fog, as seen at Rough Ridge along the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Fall color spreads along the slopes of Grandfather Mountain, near the Linn Cove Viaduct. Colors are also coming in toward Grandfather Mountain's higher elevations. (Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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Mountain ash and its vibrant berries burst into color at Grandfather Mountain’s Half Moon Overlook. Warm weather and lack of rain have delayed significant color development, but an incoming cold front could help the color change. (Skip Sickler)
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One of Grandfather Mountain’s resident elk takes a leisurely stroll near the boulders and colorful red maples that adorn his environmental habitat. (Victoria Darlington | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation)
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The rising sun casts its morning glow, as fall color spreads along the slopes of Grandfather Mountain. Pictured here is the curve near Rough Ridge parking area on the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Skip Sickler)
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Fall color complements the sunrise at Grandfather Mountain’s Mile High Swinging Bridge. The colors are changing in higher elevations, with bursts of red, orange & gold serving as contrast to the evergreens & fading shades of summer. (Skip Sickler)
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