North Georgia Fall Colors: A Drive Up to Blairsville

Fall Drive to the North Georgia Mountains YouTube Video

The Mountains Are Still in Color

Fall color in the North Georgia mountains is still going strong. On the courthouse square in downtown Blairsville, a bright red tree stands in the foreground near the courthouse, with a colorful mountain rising behind them. It is the kind of view that sends people reaching for a camera.

What Makes the Reds So Bright

Yellow and orange leaves get their color from pigments that sit in the leaf all year and show up once the green fades. Red comes from a pigment the tree makes fresh in the fall. It tends to be brightest after warm, sunny days followed by cool nights, with lows below about 45 degrees, but above freezing.

Casey Tudor, a forester with the Georgia Forestry Commission, said this fall's cooler temperatures and sunny days, with highs in the 60s and 70s, have helped the trees develop rich color, along with rainfall that was not too much, but enough to help.

Different trees create different colors. Red maples, sweetgums, sourwoods, blackgums, flowering dogwoods and scarlet oaks are known for their reds, while hickories, tulip poplars, birches and redbuds are almost always yellow. A hillside with a mix of both looks like a patchwork of scarlet and gold, mixed in with varying shades of green.

What to See and Do on the Drive

The Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway winds through the Chattahoochee National Forest in Union County, where Blairsville is the county seat.

Vogel State Park sits at the base of Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest, near Blairsville. It has a lake, hiking trails, cottages and campsites, and Explore Georgia notes that the park is especially popular in autumn.

Downtown Blairsville's Historic Union County Courthouse, built in 1899, stands on the square at the heart of town, which makes it an easy place to stop for a meal, some shopping, and even a few photos.

Timing Your Drive

The Georgia Forestry Commission publishes a weekly Leaf Watch report that tracks how far the color has progressed. Its October 30 report estimated that about 87 percent of the foliage above 3,000 feet in northeast Georgia had changed color, compared with 55 percent below that elevation, and it expected peak color during the latter half of the first week of November. The report also said the season is running about a week behind the past several years.

Higher elevations tend to fade first. Last year’s November 6 Leaf Watch report described the higher elevations as well past peak, which it called normal for early November. Since peak is running a little late this year, a drive this week or this weekend can still catch plenty of color. The latest Leaf Watch report is worth a look before you head out, since weather can shift the timing.

Back Home in Atlanta

Atlanta's color arrives a little later. The metro area typically reaches peak in early to mid-November, which gives the city's own trees their turn as the mountains begin to fade. Atlanta is often called the City in a Forest, so there is plenty of color to enjoy close to home. To learn how Atlanta’s tree canopy changes the way summer heat feels, read my post about why the City of Trees feels different.

For more of the North Georgia mountains in fall, my post on apple picking near Atlanta follows a day at an orchard in Ellijay. Apple season has wrapped up for this year, so save it for planning next fall.

If you are thinking about a move to Atlanta, having mountain color a drive away in the fall is one of the nice parts of living in the metro area.

Michelle Campbell | Campbell Group at Epique Realty | campbellgrouprealty.com