Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Oconee County & Sumter National Forest
Peak fall color is predicted around November 3. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 29 to November 8.
The prediction comes from 14 years of fall color records at this spot, checked against what observers on the ground saw. Where state foliage spotters report peak (New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Missouri), it has landed inside our ±5-day window about two years in three. An unusual summer or autumn can still move it further. Explore fall color around Walhalla and across South Carolina.
That is 4 days later than usual (October 30): the six weeks to October 13 ran 3.2°F warmer than the 2001–2025 average, and a warmer run before peak delays the color. This will settle about ten days before peak, as the weather comes in.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Oconee County & Sumter National Forest
1 to 2 hours
- Black Rock Mountain State Park29 mi · 1 hr 2 minGeorgiaPeak: Oct 28Status: Early color
- Cherokee Foothills Scenic Byway33 mi · 1 hr 3 minPeak: Nov 4Status: Early color
- Tallulah Gorge State Park36 mi · 1 hr 8 minGeorgiaPeak: Nov 3Status: Early color
- Table Rock State Park40 mi · 1 hr 11 minPeak: Nov 5Status: Early color
- Bald Rock Heritage Preserve48 mi · 1 hr 21 minPeak: Nov 3Status: Not started
- Sassafras Mountain45 mi · 1 hr 26 minPeak: Oct 30Status: Early color
- Caesars Head State Park53 mi · 1 hr 27 minPeak: Nov 4Status: Early color
- Falls Park on the Reedy56 mi · 1 hr 29 minPeak: Nov 6Status: Moderate color
- Black Balsam Knob55 mi · 1 hr 32 minNorth CarolinaPeak: Oct 23Status: Moderate color