Channel 9 checked with several hotels in Boone and Blowing Rock on Friday and discovered only a handful of rooms were available and many were booked up. In downtown Blowing Rock, most of the parking spaces were filled up and popular overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway were busy.
Oct. 7, 2022: The vantage point from the Mile High Swinging Bridge parking area above the mountain’s famous switchbacks provides a nice look at fall color filling the landscape around Grandfather Mountain. In the foreground, blueberry bushes display their gorgeous, deep-red hue.
Oct. 7, 2022: A view of Buckeye Lake from the Beechmtn.com live cam.
Oct. 7, 2022: This photo was taken at Sims Pond (Milepost 295.9) on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Oct. 6, 2022: A particularly great spot for seeing fall color right now is outside the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery, looking up at Linville Peak. The sugar maples near the parking area and habitats have turned a mix of orange and red (as illustrated in this photo), and the striped maples on the paths to the habitats are now turning yellow.
Oct. 5, 2022: Nice pockets of fall color are developing at the highest elevations (above 4,000 feet) in the NC High Country, as illustrated by this image from the Rough Ridge area. An extremely popular spot in fall for long-distance views, the trail to Rough Ridge is located at Milepost 302.8 along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Grandfather Mountain.
Oct. 4, 2022: This photo was taken at the top of Grandfather Mountain, near the Top Shop parking area. Typically a showstopper early in the season, the wild blueberries, also known as huckleberries, have turned a beautiful red at higher elevations. Grandfather Mountain and its immediate area are still mostly green with hints that a nice fall season is ahead of us. The weather this week is picture perfect with sunny days and chilly nights, also great ingredients for fall color progression.
A recent article by Appalachian State University estimated the economic impact of visitors to western North Carolina during the fall is around $1 billion.
>> In the video at the top of the page, Channel 9′s Dave Faherty talks to visitors and local business owners who are expecting large crowds this weekend.
(Watch below: App State professor talks about fall foliage with Meteorologist John Ahrens)
Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.
Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab join forces to recap the draft in the best way they know how: letter grades! Fitz and Frank discuss all 32 teams division by division as they give a snapshot of how fans should be feeling heading into the 2024 season. The duo have key debates on the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and more.
