This past weekend I experienced two glorious things: crunchy leaves falling onto the ground, littering the driveway, and chill bumps sitting on my front porch swing in the shade. It was a delicious reminder that fall is truly on its way—but you might have to remind me of that when I’m dripping in sweat next week when the heat cranks back up again. (After all, living in Alabama sometimes means wearing shorts on Christmas.)
If, like me, you are wondering when the leaves will start to change color, turning Birmingham into a beautiful kaleidoscope, the Smoky Mountain’s fall foliage map is about to become your best friend.
It gives a fabulous breakdown of when to anticipate the best leaf peeping in each state across the US. Click here to see the map. If you use the slider at the bottom of the map, you can adjust the date to see the predictions of when the leaves will likely change September–November.
Of course, we care most about Alabama (specifically our city), so I’ll show you what I found when zooming into Jefferson and Shelby counties.
- October 13: Minimal
- October 20: Patchy
- October 27: Partial
- November 3: Near Peak
- November 10: Peak
So, in short, whether you’re planning for the most beautiful hike, camping trip, or family pictures, the week starting with Monday, November 10th, is supposed to be the most beautiful picture of autumn we’ll get this year.
