Here’s what to expect for SC fall color after Hurricane Helene ruined foliage season last year

Up at Caesars Head in northwestern South Carolina right now, a few leaves are just starting to turn a yellow red and the remnants of last year’s Hurricane Helene are showing as bald rock where landslides brought the trees down.

There are some open spaces and saplings are growing up through the canopy, Matthew Slawiak, the park ranger at Caesars Head, said.

And as on schedule, prime leaf season is coming. It’s weeks away, still, typically beginning the second week of October and lasting about five weeks, Slawiak said.

“The cycle of life,” he said.

From the lookout at the state park, visitors see hickory, walnut, sassafras and white oak in an array of reds, yellows and oranges, blending together across the valley.

Slawiak said the busiest time is fall when 400 people on average hike the trails or stop at the overlook.

In South Carolina, State Parks, Recreation and Tourism says these are among the top spots to see fall on display.

• Caesars Head State Park — in northern Greenville County, South Carolina. The summit has an elevation of 3,215 feet.
• Chester State Park — open since the 1930s, the park is located midway between Columbia and Charlotte, and has a 160-acre lake surrounded by a two-mile nature trail through the pine forest.
• Devils Fork State Park — offers the only public access to Lake Jocassee.
• Jones Gap State Park — with Caesars Head, part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area
• Keowee-Toxaway State Park — 1000 acres of land adjacent to Lake Keowee
• Kings Mountain State Park — almost 7,000 acres and one of 16 SC State Parks built by the Civilian Conservation Corps near Blacksburg
• Paris Mountain State Park — 1,700 acres, also built by the CCC, in northern Greenville County
• Table Rock State Park — another CCC park, 3,000 acres in Pickens County. The Table Rock webcam is available to see fall foliage as it unfolds.

There is a nationwide day-by-day prediction map on the Old Farmers Almanac website.

Another great South Carolina place to see fal colors is along SC HIgwhay 11.

The Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway is 120 miles between Gaffney and Lake Hartwell.

“You can start at any point along SC Highway 11 and enjoy the colorful views on your journey<’ Upcountry South Carolina said.

The Alamanac says the timing of peak foliage comes down to cool nights, sunny days, some rainfall.

“Heavy rain, strong winds, or early frost can shorten the season,” the publication It lists Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire and the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina as being the best places in the United States to see fall color.