The mountains in Western North Carolina are a favorite spot for natives and visitors alike each fall for the best leaf peeping available in the South. A drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway is an annual rite of passage from summer into fall for many and a stop at the most popular waterfall on the parkway is also a must.

If you’ve never visited Linville Falls in the peak of the autumn transformation, then here’s a peek at what you have to look forward to:

TripAdvisor/Luvselle

Located just a short drive from milepost 317.8 on the parkway, the Linville Falls Visitor Center hosts 350,000 visitors annually.

National Park Service The complex includes a small visitor center with facilities and trail information. It’s here that your journey to the falls begins.

There are four major overlooks that dish up spellbinding views of the waterfalls and fall colors. Usually, the peak viewing times for seeing the falls surrounded by the splendor of autumn occur beginning in mid-October.

alltrails/Danielle Orrey

From the visitor center you’ll cross over the Linville River, the very source of the water that flows over the 150-foot waterfall at the start of the Linville Gorge.

Google Local/Ming Li

A total of three miles of trails meander to the four overlooks and carry visitors through a virgin hemlock forest with a mixed canopy of colors from oak, hickory, and birch trees.

Google Local/Amit Chatterjee

As the trail meanders along the rim of the gorge, visitors get spellbinding views of the waterfall and the plunge basin.

alltrails/Linden Lintz

This includes an overlook that’s only steps from the narrow channel at the top of the falls.

alltrails/Rachel Sintay Conde Linville Falls has the highest capacity of any waterfall in this region of the Blue Ridge Mountains. After spilling over the waterfall, it flows downstream for another 16.9 miles and into Lake James.

After visiting the overlooks located on the rim of the gorge, double back and head in the opposite direction for a ground-zero view of the action.

Flickr/Doug Kerr

It’s a bit of a hike to get down to the base of the falls but worth every step — especially in the fall with cooler temps and a more colorful landscape.

Google Local/Stephanie Hinson

Things to know before you go: Weekends are very crowded at Linville Falls. To avoid the biggest crowds, go during the week. Wear hiking or walking shoes, not sandals, and bring plenty of water. Be sure to use the facilities at the Visitor Center before embarking on this hike; no other facilities are available at the site. For more information about the trails, see this link from the National Park Service and for information about the Linville Falls Visitor Center, see this link.

TripAdvisor/Luvselle

National Park Service

The complex includes a small visitor center with facilities and trail information. It’s here that your journey to the falls begins.

alltrails/Danielle Orrey

Google Local/Ming Li

Google Local/Amit Chatterjee

alltrails/Linden Lintz

alltrails/Rachel Sintay Conde

Linville Falls has the highest capacity of any waterfall in this region of the Blue Ridge Mountains. After spilling over the waterfall, it flows downstream for another 16.9 miles and into Lake James.

Flickr/Doug Kerr

Google Local/Stephanie Hinson

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Address: Linville Falls Visitor Center, Warrior Ln, Marion, NC 28752, USA