When do the leaves change in Charlotte?

Charlotte's famous tree canopy earns its keep in autumn — the willow oaks over Myers Park and Freedom Park turn bronze and gold, and McDowell's lakeside woods color up along Lake Wylie. Crowders Mountain and the South Mountains add Piedmont summit views over the show, an easy day trip west of the city.

Carolina Renaissance Festival in North Carolina
📍 Carolina Renaissance Festival, North Carolina· Photo: Sergiy Galyonkin from Raleigh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
2026 Forecast

Peak: November 7–November 11

Color builds from November 1 · mostly bare by December 3

Color starts: November 1Peak: November 9Bare: December 3AugustDecember

Sampled at Charlotte’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Charlotte itself at 254 m elevation. Street trees vary block to block, so check locally before you plan a weekend around it.

This window comes from 25 weather points across North Carolina, nudged 6 days later to match 1 published peak date from smokymountains.com and almanac.com. North Carolina is running 7 days earlier than its own average this year. Across North Carolina the first place to turn and the last sit about 6 days apart. How the forecast works

Fall activities in Charlotte

Drag the date slider to see when color moves through the country around Charlotte, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.

Where locals go

  • Freedom Park
  • Myers Park (Queens Road West)
  • McDowell Nature Preserve
  • Crowders Mountain State Park (day trip)
  • South Mountains State Park (day trip)

Things to do in fall in Charlotte

Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season. These are the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Charlotte.

Hodges Family Farm

Pumpkin patch

Sep 26 – Oct 31 Color nearby peaks November 10 2026 forecast

A pick-your-own pumpkin patch on Rocky River Road in east Charlotte, built around the property's 1932 barn with hay rides and farm animals.

SCarowinds

Haunted attraction

Sep 11 – Nov 1 Color nearby peaks November 9 2026 forecast

Carowinds turns into a scare park on the South Carolina line, with ambient scare zones threaded through the midways and separate…

Sep 5 – Oct 31 Color nearby peaks November 9 2026 forecast

A corn maze cut into the fields of a working historic farm just north of Charlotte, open Friday through Sunday mornings into afternoons…

Oct 3 Color nearby peaks November 9 2026 forecast

A one-day craft market at the Greenway Gateway in Fort Mill, just south of Charlotte, with local vendors selling home decor, candles, and…

Oct 3 – Nov 22 Color nearby peaks November 10 2026 forecast

Sixteenth-century Europe rebuilt in the woods north of Charlotte, with jousting knights, falconry, and a dozen stages of music and comedy…

Farm

Color nearby peaks November 5 2026 forecast

A working produce farm and market on the Filbert Highway in York County, with a pick-your-own pumpkin patch set up beside the store on fall…

in South Carolina

Guides

Frequently asked

When do leaves peak in Charlotte in 2026?
Peak color is predicted for November 7–November 11 (best estimate November 9). Color starts around November 1 and trees are mostly bare by December 3. These dates are computed for Charlotte itself, at 254 m elevation, using the same weather model as the tracker.
When is fall foliage season in Charlotte?
Charlotte colors during autumn (September to November). Counting from the first turn to bare branches that is about 32 days, and the best of it falls in the week either side of November 9.
What's the best foliage near Charlotte?
South Carolina (92 mi, peak ~November 9); North Carolina (94 mi, peak ~November 11); Virginia (191 mi, peak ~October 22).
What are the best things to do in fall in Charlotte?
Beyond the leaves: Hodges Family Farm (9 mi); SCarowinds (11 mi); Rural Hill Corn Maze (12 mi); Fall Artisan Market at Anne Springs Close Greenway (14 mi); Carolina Renaissance Festival (15 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.

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