We had a very dry spring with drought conditions not seen since 2016 for many parts of the region. Rain arrived in late April and saved the color season, setting up a gorgeous transition into summer.

The Parkway opened up February 27th, a week ahead of the average spring opening date (March 6th) and 39 days since it closed due to winter weather.

Below you'll find a breakdown of the spring color season, focusing on the highlights and favorite moments along the way.

2026 Spring Season

Coverage began March 13th, lasting 77 days, ending May 29th.

Deepening drought conditions from March into April led to a slow and somewhat faded start to the color season.

The late April - early May rainfall kicked the season into high gear, ending with a gorgeous display of pastels as hardwoods came online throughout the month of May.

March

The first bit of color was spotted on March 9th as buds began to emerge across the lower elevations. Looking down on a Forest Service Road ⬇️

A high elevation snow event occurred on March 12th, followed by a regionwide event on March 17th.

The Parkway shut down for several days and after a warm spell it fully opened from Cherokee to Asheville (Southern Section) for the first time on March 27th.

Not much rain fell in March, but even the little bit of snow and warming temps were enough to trigger ephemeral wildflowers as March came to a close.

April

The divide between leaf-out across the valleys and stick season along the ridgelines played out for a good portion of the month.

Wildflowers stole the show for the first two weeks of the month, with ample opportunities to view them along the road or trail.

Five mornings in a row with frost, starting on the 6th, hit the pause button on leaf-out and delayed emerging buds.

By the time mid April rolled around we noticed greening up continuing, but not as its normal pace as the drought continued to deepen. Big Witch Gap on 4/16 ⬇️

Leaf-out eventually took off around April 24th, however the transition line between leafed out and budding trees remained around 4250'.

Prior to April 28th, the Southern Section experienced a few pop up showers, mostly along the Great Balsams, whereas the escarpment (Pisgah Inn area) remained bone dry resulting in dusty pastel colors as seen here on 4/23 ⬇️

Rain arrived on April 28th for the majority of the region (0.5 - 1") and this welcomed event kicked the color season into high gear.

May

The best month of the spring color season was May. The late April rainfall truly awoken the landscape, with hardwoods and seasonal flowers stealing the show.

It took nearly two weeks for the entire region to respond, but once things got going the transition from greening up to end of season was rapid. Leaf-out was observed at 4300' on May 1st, while 5500' ridgelines were beginning to bud ⬇️

Emerging buds reached the highest ridgelines by the second week of May; Sam's Knob Meadow (5665') on 5/8 ⬇️

Leaf-out climbed to 5000' by the middle of the month, however there were still numerous pockets of color and spring vibes to be found.

The section from Balsam Gap to Beech Gap has the highest number of miles above 5500' (27 miles) along the entire Parkway and as color retreats to the ridgelines throughout the month of May this became an island of color ⬇️

By the end of the month the writing was on the wall, however vibrant pockets of color remained, some that were the most colorful of the season.

The hardwoods saved the season with a vibrant array of pastels that carried into the last week of the month; taken 5/22 ⬇️

We kept coverage alive till the end of the month, making our final run on 5/28

The highest portions of the Parkway above 5900' put on a gorgeous display of lime green as we headed into summer; taken 5/28 ⬇️

A end of season bonus came when the Rhodendrons began to bloom in late May, typically occurring in early - mid June.

Report Card

This is always subjective, but the spring color season was worthy enough of a high letter grade, even after the rocky and dry start.

The late season rainfall and hardwoods color display salvaged the season, otherwise we would be looking at a non passing grade.

How we rank each season:

• color coverage (isolated or widespread)
• color timing (transition from high to low elevations and 1st to 2nd peak phases)
• weather (rainy, multiple cold fronts, snow)
• color itself (vibrant, rich, dull, faded, long lasting/short lived)

Favorite Moments

Coming around a bend to see a gorgeous pocket of color, so stunned I needed to double back to capture the moment on camera.

The immersion of green is always welcomed, but coming around a bend to see a display of color is always a nice treat.

Summer Mode

Summer is in full swing and each year we step back from Parkway Colors to enjoy time with family and friends.

This translates to only one Color Report per month from June - August, picking back up to the weekly frequency in September to kickoff the fall color season.

I want to give a big thank you to our subscribers, who financially support this operation and allow us to stay on top as long as it is open. We think it's worth $6/yr and thank you for thinking the same!

It means the world to us that these updates help you plan a better Parkway experience. Until next time!