Blackwater Falls State Park
State park · West Virginia
Tannic acid from hemlock and red spruce needles tints the Blackwater River amber as it drops 57 feet at this Tucker County park, where elevation near 3,000 feet brings some of West Virginia's earliest peak color, typically in early-to-mid October.
Don’t miss
Peak: October 11–October 15
Color builds from September 29 · mostly bare by November 4
Sampled at Blackwater Falls State Park’s own coordinates and elevation (955 m) rather than a regional average.
12 weather points cover West Virginia, and the model needs no correction to land on 1 published peak date from smokymountains.com. Against West Virginia's own climatology, the 2026 weather puts the peak 1 day earlier. How the forecast works
When to go to Blackwater Falls State Park
You get about 23 days of color here, from the first turn through to roughly October 22. That is about 7 days earlier than West Virginia as a whole. At 3,133 ft, it turns before the lower ground nearby.
Blackwater Falls State Park on the map
Drag the date slider to see when color reaches this corner of West Virginia, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
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Frequently asked
- When does Blackwater Falls State Park peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 11–October 15 (best estimate October 13). Color starts around September 29 and is mostly bare by November 4.
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