Chris Militzer/Miliman12
Huntley Meadows Park.
According to the Smoky Mountains 2020 Fall Foliage Prediction Map, trees in Northern Virginia will reach their peak change in color by the end of October.
With many indoor activities limited due to COVID-19, getting outside to enjoy the beauty of the season is the perfect weekend plan. There are many resources available to track the best spots to witness fall foliage in and around Northern Virginia. (And, a lot of the Northern Virginia hikes we recommended in September have great vantage points to see the beauty!)
The Virginia Tourism Corporation has an entire web page dedicated to fall in Virginia. The page lists the best places to see fall foliage in Virginia and when. Two of the closest locations to Alexandria are Shenandoah National Park and Prince William Forest Park.
Shenandoah is a 300-square-mile national park located 75 miles outside of Alexandria in Virginia’s portion of the Appalachian Mountains. Peak fall foliage in the park is mid to late October and can be viewed from one of the park’s many hiking trails or from the car on Skyline Drive, a 105 mile road that runs the length of the park. If you’d rather stay home and avoid the drive, see some beautiful views on one of the Shenandoah National Park webcams.
More information on fall color in Shenandoah can be found on the park’s website: www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/fall.htm.
Prince William Forest Park is 30 miles south of Alexandria in Triangle, Virginia. There, peak fall foliage is usually late October and lasts through the beginning of November. At 15,000 acres of woodlands, camping sites, streams, ponds and trails it is the largest nature reserve in the National Park Service’s Washington Capital Region. Plan your visit and find information at www.nps.gov/prwi/index.htm.
Huntly Meadows Park (3701 Lockheed Blvd.) and the George Washington Memorial Parkway are amazing options to see fall color in Alexandria’s own backyard.
More resources on fall foliage in Virginia are listed below:
- The Virginia Department of Forestry offers a weekly fall foliage report at http://www.dof.virginia.gov/fall/.
- The Virginia Tourism Corporation’s fall foliage report and related resources can be found at https://www.virginia.org/fall/foliagereport/.
- Front Royal, Virginia has its own 2020 fall leaf report and a live leaf cam at https://www.discoverfrontroyal.com/leaf-report-2020.html.
- Call 1-800-424-LOVE for a Virginia fall foliage report.
- Visit Loudon has a blog post on best places to view fall foliage in nearby Loudon County https://www.visitloudoun.org/blog/post/fall-in-love-with-loudoun-foliage/
