Late October along the Blue Ridge Parkway will offer good fall color, along with plenty of other tourists and photographers. Make lodging reservations now, if not sooner.
Places to go:
Asheville, NC. Beautiful little jewel of a mountain city. Eat at Mayfels. Walk around the arts district. Great spot. Lots of little inns and B&Bs.
Pisgah Inn. A motel on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Nothing special at all -- except the location and the view (and the grilled trout for breakfast. Mmmm.)
Highlands, NC. High end resort town.
Bluffs Lodge. Another motel on the Parkway. Much further north, at lower elevation, pleasant spot. Nearby is the hike up to Caudill Cabin, a steep 10-mile round trip up a tiny gorge where the Caudill family once lived. If you like to hike, this is a nice one.
Hot Springs, NC. Tiny mountain town, a good place for lunch if you go to Max Patch.
Max Patch. A
huge bald mountain west of Asheville, near Hot Springs. Reasonable access by car to a parking area around a mile from the open summit. Amazing views from the summit.
Newfound Gap. The spot where the road across the Smokies hits the high point. Big parking lot, lots of tourists, so go very early.
Note that by late October, the fall color will likely be moving from the mountaintops down closer to the valleys.
Here are a
couple of shots from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park taken in early November. (Taken with my p+s on a hiking trip, so they suck, but may give you a good idea of what that area looks like.)
There are plenty of other great spots. If I recall any more, I'll add to this list. Hope you enjoy it.
--Ken